Auto Italia Issue 228 - 2015

Issue 228 February 2015 £4.70 US$10.50

Lancia Delta HF integrale Ex-works Group ATrack Test

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FERRARI 500 SUPERFAST – The most powerful Enzo era Ferrari

Fiat 500X Launch

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Ferrari 512S

De Tomaso Pantera

Carrozzeria Riva

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WELCOME

www.auto-italia.net

Auto Italia® is published twelve times a year by:Ginger Beer Promotions Ltd, Morningside House, 1 High Avenue, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3RLEmail: [email protected] 1357 - 4515

Editor Phil Ward Tel: 01462 [email protected] Editor Michael Ward [email protected] at Large Peter Collins

Contributors Keith Bluemel, Richard Bremner,Sean Carson, Peter Collins, Elvio Deganello, Luca Gastaldi, Roberto Giordanelli, Richard Heseltine, Andy Heywood, Chris Hrabalek, Simon Park, Chris Rees

Art Editor Michael Ward

Back Issues Tel: 01462 678205Subscriptions www.auto-italia.net

Advertisement ManagerDavid Lerpiniere Tel: 01732 [email protected] Vendo classifieds email:[email protected]

Accounts: Josie WardManaging Director: Josie Ward

Printed in EnglandWarners Midlands PLC; Tel: 01778 391000Worldwide Retail DistributionSeymour Distribution Ltd, 2 East Poultry Avenue,London, EC1A 9PT

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracyof this publication Ginger Beer Promotions Ltdcannot accept liability for any statement or errorcontained herein. All rights reserved. Reproductionin whole or part, without written permissio n, isprohibited. © Ginger Beer Promotions Ltd, 2015

Michael Ward

Auto Italia is brought to you by a group of journalistsand photographers united by a passion for Italiancars. Contributors to this issue include:

CONTRIBUTORS

After a short absence our ‘letters’ page is back in this issue. Well, it used to beletters, nowadays it’s emails. While we don’t receive a huge amount of carrelated material from our readers in our in-box we do receive notes in support ofwhat we are doing, which is encouraging – and much appreciated. I would like toadd more pages about readers’ cars and the idea is to invite you to send inpictures of your own car, or one you have spotted, accompanied by up to 200words. The story can be about a car you have seen or an event or location thatyou visited. I know we have attempted to run stories on readers’ cars before butthe picture quality has been variable and it would not be practical to send aphotographer along, much as we would like to. So, if you would like to see yourcar in Auto Italia then please send me a selection of decent images that shouldbe saved at 300dpi. The better the image the more we can do with it.

I am taking this opportunity to preview our March issue because it will recordAuto Italia’s 20th year in production. There will be some special features in thisbumper issue including the story of how the magazine began accompanied by aselection of the top cars we have featured. In the meantime, my sincere thanksand seasonal best wishes to all our readers and business clients who havesupported us over the last 20 years – and hopefully through 2015 and beyond.

Peter Collins Luca Gastaldi

Phil WardEditor

[email protected]

Simon ParkElvio Deganello Roberto GiordanelliPhil Ward Sean CarsonRichard Heseltine

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CONTENTS

FEATURES FEBRUARY 2015

16 Fiat 500XNew Crossover launched

24 Ferrari 500 SuperfastSuper car for the super rich

32 De Tomaso PanteraOwnership inspired by Top Trumps

36 Alfa Romeo GiuliettaSpecial ‘elaborazione’ version by Bertone

46 Carrozzeria RivaA small but talented, specialist coachbuilder

52 Lancia Delta integrale Group AKankkunen’s 1000 Lakes rally winner

60 Ferrari 512Driving the Le Mans legends

72 Our CarsRunning reports on the Editorial fleet

06 NewsFerrari Sergio – but only for the few

12 DesignFerrari FXX K – LaFerrari goes large

82 Events DiaryItalian car club contacts and events

88 Auto VendoPre-loved readers’ cars for sale

REGULARS

CLUB ITALIA

ISSUE 228

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AND SAVE MONEY !SEE PAGE 44 FOR DETAILS

SUBSCRIBE

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68 Spettacolo Sportivo Alfa RomeoSCARB Club at Zandvoort

78 Company ProfileHoyle-Fox restorations

98 ObscuratiPavesi Ferrari 412 Ventorosso 52

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NEWS & VIEWS

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The first Ferrari Sergio has arrived in theUnited Arab Emirates. Designed byPininfarina, just six of this limited editionroadster are being built. The car was createdto celebrate the spirit and core values of the

historic Cambiano company in the 60th anniversaryyear of its collaboration with Ferrari. The Sergio namepays homage to Sergio Pininfarina, who sealed theunique, longstanding partnership with Ferrari. Based on the 458 Spider, the Sergio is powered by

the latest 605hp version of Ferrari’s naturally aspirated4497cc V8. This power unit also guarantees the carsprints from 0 to 100km/h in just three seconds. The example delivered to Abu Dhabi has three-layer

FERRARI SERGIO: ONLY FOR THE FEW

red exterior paintwork and a cockpit with black leatherupholstery with contrasting red stitching, Alcantaraseat inserts, and extensive carbon dash and door welltrim. It also features Sergio-specific forged wheels, inthis instance gold in colour with a diamond finish.Each one of the six Ferrari Sergios was configured by

its owner in dedicated sessions at the Tailor Madeatelier in Maranello where clients are invited topersonalise their cars to their own individual tastes.The atelier offers enormous freedom of choice in termsof colours, materials and finishes. As a result, everydetail is extremely exclusive, thereby continuing theFerrari tradition begun in the 1950s and ’60s of creatingbespoke cars.

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FERRARI FXX K: EXTREME PERFORMANCEFerrari’s new FXX K research and developmentprogramme received its world premiere at the YasMarina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The laboratory-car is basedon Maranello’s first hybrid model and will grace theworld’s tracks from next year onwards. The K in its titleis a reference to the ‘KERS’ kinetic energy recoverysystem it adopts in maximising its track performance. Unfettered by homologation and racing regulations,

the FXX K will never be used in competition. It wasdeveloped to be a completely uncompromising drivingexperience to the exclusive group of Client Test

MASERATI MILESTONEOn the final day of the Maserati Centennialcelebrations, the 50,000th car was celebrated at theAvv. Giovanni Agnelli Plant.This important result for Maserati was achieved in

less than two years. The plant, where the Quattroporteand Ghibli saloon are manufactured, was officiallyinaugurated on the 30th January 2013 and with aproduction ramp-up designed to maximise the qualityof the finished product, it has been possible to reach50,000 cars in just 22 months.Car number 50,000 is a Quattroporte S Q4 painted

in the new Grigio Maratea, with red and black interiorupholstery and intended for the US market. TheNorth American market reached a new sales record,with more than 10,700 Maseratis delivered in thefirst 10 months of the year.

RSD: TOP RALLY RESULTRallysport Developments took top honours inthe UK’s Roger Albert Clark 2014 Rally. Theunprecedented result was 1st, 2nd and 3rdplaces overall.Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis took the

top spot followed by Nick Elliott and Dave Priceboth crews in RSD built Mk2 Escorts, 3rd placewent to Julian Reynolds and Patrick Walsh inthe RSD 131 Rallye as featured in Auto Italia.An impressive performance from the crews andthe engineering team at RSD.

Drivers with whom Ferrari will roll out a testprogramme over the coming two years.The car’s enormous potential is attested to by

two significant figures: a total power output of1050cv (860cv delivered by its conventional V12engine and 190 by its electric motor) and maximumtorque in excess of 900Nm.The FXX K’s 6262 cc V12 features new camshafts

and a modified valve train with mechanical ratherthan hydraulic tappets. The intake manifolds havebeen redesigned and given a special type of polishingtreatment. The exhaust system is unsilenced.

RACE RETRO 2015Save the dates for Race Retro 2015 in your new diaries when the historic motorsportshow returns to Stoneleigh Park on Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd February.Guest celebrities and motorsport legends will be on hand throughout the

weekend ensuring enthusiasts are entertained with interviews and anecdotesfrom the halcyon days of racing. The popular live Rally Stage will include liveaction from Group B rally cars (Sat and Sun).Auto Italia will be there with a stand displaying current and classic Abarths from

specialists Middle Barton Garage and the 131 Rally from Rallysport Developments. Book now and take advantage of the generous ticket discounts.www.raceretro.com


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NEWS

LOST AND FOUNDJust when you thought that they couldn’t find anymore rare cars that have been hidden away, here arethree examples that are coming up at two auctionson Florida’s Amelia Island.Gooding and Company have two cars entered in their

sale to be held over January 16-17. The first is a 1956Allemano-bodied Maserati A6G/2000 Coupe that waslast registered back in 1969. Chassis 2165 is estimatedto fetch between $750,000 and $950,000. The secondcar is a 1960 Alfa Romeo Giulietta SZ. Hidden awaysince its arrival in the United States 50 years ago, thisGiulietta SZ is being offered for public sale for the firsttime, presenting collectors with a rare opportunity toacquire an important Alfa Romeo with both a richracing history and exceptional patina.On March 14 RM Auctions are offering a 1971 Ferrari

365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, which has recentlyemerged from 25 years in dry storage. Chassis 14385was hidden in plain sight, tucked away in the corner ofa condominium parking garage under a cover. Costing$18,000 in 1971 this remarkable find is expected tocommand in excess of $600,000 at the March sale.

Alfa Romeo UK has launched a new derivative of theGiulietta aimed specifically at business drivers. On salenow, the new ‘Business Edition’ is based on the well-equipped, mid-range Distinctive trim level but with ahost of additional features which are fast becomingessential equipment for buyers.In addition to the 16-inch alloy wheels and standard

Distinctive extras, the new Business Edition benefitsfrom the 6.5-inch Uconnect™ infotainment systemupgrade and voice-programmable satellite navigationwith 3D mapping. Other extras include rain sensors,self-dimming rear-view interior mirror, power foldingdoor mirrors, front seat electric lumbar support andfront parking sensors to help preserve the metallic orspecial paint – also a no-cost option on the BusinessEdition – in pristine condition.Not only does the Business Edition offer more than

£2000 worth of additional equipment compared to theDistinctive model, its OTR price is actually lower whenboth are equipped with comparable engines. Fortaxation purposes this ensures its P11D and BIKnumbers are highly competitive, making it a compellingpackage for business users wishing to add a splash ofItalian style to the company car park.

ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA BUSINESS EDITION

Giulietta Business Edition OTR P11D1.6 JTDM-2 105hp 6-sp manual £18,990.00 £18,935.002.0 JTDM-2 150hp 6-sp manual £20,290.00 £20,235.001.4 TB MultiAir 170hp 6-sp TCT £20,810.00 £20,755.002.0 JTDM-2 II 175hp 6-sp TCT £22,450.00 £22,395.00

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Classic Car AuctionYearbook 2013-2014Historica Selecta. €60.00This annual compilation ofauction results hasbecome the bible for theclassic car industry andinvestors. However, thisbook is not just for thoselucky enough to have a£22.8m Ferrari 250 GTO intheir garden shed. If youhappen to own a classicAlfa Romeo or Fiat at theother end of the scalethen the Yearbook is auseful guide to follow theever increasing values.According to authorAdolfo Orsi: “After morethan 20 years of marketanalysis, we’re seeing thebigger picture ofgenerational evolutionamong collectors, withmore interest amongyounger ages . . .”Alfa Romeos are rising

stars among practicalclassics with sleeperslike the Montreal

achieving a record£107k. Giulia GTscontinue to realise topprices, although a 1968Sprint GT that sold for£56k is probablyexceptional. If youhave something a bitdifferent, your 1961Alfa Romeo Ondine(née Renault

Dauphine) could be worth£11.8k, or your GiuliaSuper Familiare at £12.8k.Fiat X1/9s continue to

be underrated, althougha 1983 example with

just 2379 miles on theclock fetched £17.9k. Atthe other end of thescale a 2.4 Dino Spiderwent for £110k.It’s not all facts and

figures, though. Thereare high qualitymonochrome pictures toaccompany the text andthere is also a coloursection covering 2014’sstar cars and the top tensales from 1997 to date.The Yearbook is

available from selectedinternational bookshops,like Chaters, or [email protected]

Ferrari HypercarsThe inside story ofMaranello’s Fastest,Rarest, Road Carsby Winston GoodfellowMotorbooks. £50.00Don’t be put off by thepretentious ‘Hypercar’title of this book. Unlessyou know what isbetween the covers youmight think it is just

anotherlightweight Ferraripicture book. It’smore than that,but most of thecars are not therarest or even roadcars. From someonewith WinstonGoodfellow’scredentials thisshould be a goodread, and it is.

This book is aboutpeople as well as cars andthere are chapters on themany personalities withdirect quotes from theirconversations with Enzo

Ferrari. The piece onNicola Materazzi isparticularly interesting. Asan engineer, Materazziworked in the backgroundand is credited withmaking the Lancia Stratosa winner and forturbochargingdevelopment on theFerrari 288 Evoluzione,F40 and Lancia LC2. For me the Group B

development story isgood reading and so is thepiece on the F50 GT, thestillborn BPR car thatremains the fastest non-F1 car to lap Fiorano.There are some great

pictures in this book, inparticular the archive anddevelopment shots.Nicely produced, butquite expensive.

MOMO ITALY 50 YEARS 1964-2014by Mario DonniniGiorgio Nada £50.00Gianpiero Moretti, racingdriver and entrepreneurbegan his motor sportcareer with a LanciaAppia Zagato in 1961. Herealised that his carneeded a smaller steeringwheel and decided tomake one himself at hishome in Milan. His friendswere impressed with theresult and asked him tomake copies. And so hiscompany began.

Moretti’s business boomedand his steering wheelsbecame standardequipment on productionFerraris and F1 cars.Eventually his productrange expanded to includewheels and racing seats.Moretti was prominent

in the IMSA Championshipwith a Porsche 935 andFerrari 333 SP, each cardressed in the striking redand yellow Momo livery.This dual text book

tells the Momo story witha series of interviewswith famous racingdrivers. It is a somewhatfragmented productionthat mixes someinteresting period racingimages with steeringwheel development and amodern road wheelcatalogue.

NEW BOOKS: EDITORS’ CHOICEREVIEWS

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In line with the legendsurrounding the namefinding origins of theiconic Countach, ‘coolas . . . (expletive

deleted)’ is pretty muchthe first line that comesto mind, when firstconfronted with Ferrari’smost recent – FerrariLaFerrari based – track-only, hypercar special; byfar the most spectacularand thus desirable pieceof automotive art to haveleft the Maranello factorygates in recent years.Publicly unveiled at this

year’s Ferrari FinaliMondiali event in AbuDhabi, the successor tothe Ferrari Enzo-basedFXX was already longsold; in a similarly brilliantcoup as with the FerrariF60America before it. Itseems that Ferrari’smarketing and sales teamare currently performing

in a similar manner to theearly 2000s Ferrari 430Scuderia with one hattrick following another.Presented with the first

official photographs ofthe FXX K, it becomesobvious that a large shareof its ‘must have’ factorcan be directly attributedto Flavio Manzoni and hisStile Ferrari design team.Similarly to Adrian Neweyin F1, Flavio seems to penone winner after theother, even managing totransform the lardyCalifornia into an object ofdesire as per most recent‘T’ iteration.Still remaining highly

cynical about the realproduct developmentvalue of an army ofamateur hypercar ‘testdrivers’, it remainswithout doubt that theFXX Programme – akafactory organised track-

day sessions – remain oneof the key attractions ofbuying into a track-focused evolution of theLaFerrari at nearly threetimes its donors cost; orfor the accountants atMaranello: the equivalentrevenue-stream ofanother 100-oddLaFerraris sold.The fact that the FXX K

track machine lapped theFiorano circuit in 1’14” –five seconds faster thanLaFerrari – is verybelievable, consideringoverall weight wasreduced by an impressive90kg, downforce wasincreased to 540kg at200km/h, and a powerhike achieved of 860hpand 190hp for its V12 and

electric motorsrespectively; at this rateof progress we will soonsee products of the XX-programme lap Fioranofaster than contemporaryF1 cars.Designwise the FXX K is

‘HOT’ – with three capitalletters. While the gents atMcLaren were trying tosteal the spotlight withtheir P1 GTR counterpart,Ferrari repeated its 2013Geneva Motorshowperformance: ‘veni, vidi,vici’-style. There are justso many details forautomotive anoraks todrool over, not just thejetfighter-like winglets inthe rear, but details suchas part of the headrestsnow attached to the

doors, that give anindication of the level ofpassion that went into thisproject.In case of the FXX K it is

very difficult to criticise itsstyling. As a matter of fact,the styling is so good, onewishes the FXX K wouldhave been the final design-freeze of the La Ferrari, orprobably more realistically,some sort of road-legal‘Stradale/Scuderia/Speciale’ La Ferrariderivative. The XX-seriescar could then have beenan even more extremeweapon, something alongthe lines of an updated333 SP, in an attempt toattract proper test-driversto join in and zip-up theirNomex.

AUTO ITALIA’S DESIGN CONSULTANT CHRIS HRABALEKDISCUSSES THE FINER POINTS OF AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN

DESIGNFerrari FXX K

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Age: 36Born: Vienna, AustriaDesign Education: MA at The RoyalCollege of Art, LondonCurrent Job: Director of EntenceDesign Group, a holistic designconsultancy with studios in Londonand Berlin, working with OEMs from US,Europe and Russia, with sub-contractsfor design houses with deliverables inChina and Japan

CHRIS HRABALEK

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AUTO ITALIA IN ATHENSThis is Alex Vazeos fromGreece, a die hard Italiancar lover and a long timereader of Auto Italia. Isimply wish tocongratulate you for yourgreat work, it is reallyinspiring for all of us.Attached are some photosof my collection; calling itobscure is a hugeunderstatement but it isas Italian as it gets. Thecollection also includes a1977 A112 Abarth and a1980 Lancia GammaCoupe, both are used asdaily drivers. I am about tofinish the restoration of anultra rare 1955 Morettitwin-cam 1200 GrandSport. I do not drive anykind of new car, let aloneone that is non-Italian.Alex VazeosAthens

MYSTERY CARA Register member hassent me this photo of analuminium bodyshell hehas unearthed in a

Falmouth scrap yard. It sitsalongside some rather sadBertone GT coupes inequally poor states ofrepair. We have no ideawhat make or model it is –does anyone know?Stuart TaylorLooks like it might havebeen a one-off barchettabody to fit on a single-seater chassis, because ithas a central drivingposition. Ed

BOLOGNA SAN LUCAWhen I lived in England, Iused to buy your magazineevery month and stillpossess all the back copiesfrom those early years,because it catered for mytaste in cars and wasinteresting. You choose notjust those everyday cars(useful) but also the mostway-out exotic cars thatmost of us will never see,let alone drive. Well done!I emigrated to Italy some

ten years ago and can’tbuy Auto Italia readily overhere. However, every now

and then I am reminded ofyour magazine.Not afraid of offering

your excellent magazinesomething, I have decidedto show you just some ofthe photos I took at thisyear’s San Luca Hill climb inBologna. This historic racehas been held every yearsince the 1950s, and thisyear I was lucky to bethere and see some of thecars featured in yourmagazine. Apart from theAlfa Romeo GTAm cars(there were four or five ofthem), there was a LanciaFlavia Sport Zagato, a FiatX1/19 Dallara, severalAbarths and an Osella. Mypick was the awesome DeTomaso Mangusta, whichlike some of you, I ownedas a toy car. To see one isanother experience.Now I live halfway

between Bologna andMaranello, I might get tosee more exotic vehiclesbeing given their roadtests. Watch this spacewith interest.Tim MellorIf you are finding it difficultto locate Auto Italia in ItalyI suggest you take out asubscription, then themagazine will come directto your home. Ed

FIAT 850 FANAs a long term subscriberof Auto Italia I obviouslyhave a healthy appetite forItalian marques (especiallyLancia) but I waswondering if there was anychance of an depth articleon the Fiat 850 Saloon,Coupe and Bertone Spider?These cars have suchcharacter but rarely getpage space. You did apiece on an 850 Couperecently which wasexcellent and got meinterested, and then

recently an 850 Spiderappeared on the TVprogramme Car SOS whichlooked gorgeous whenthey'd finished restoring it.You could include the 850Tand 900T vans as well butmaybe that's pushing it abit. I know you have tocater for a broad spectrumof Italian car nuts from allover the world but surelythere’s a bit more room forthe humble Fiat 850 and Iknow Phil has a soft spotfor small Fiats.Rob MacFarlaneWe covered the 850 familyway back in issue 63 andwe still have that issue instock. These cars arebecoming harder to find ingood condition but we willsee what we can do. Ed

BROOKLANDS SUPPORTEROn behalf of all theAbarthisti who came to theBrooklands AutumnMotorsport Day, a big‘Thank You’ to you and yourorganising team for a greatday. Having attended all

four of the motor sportevents, I think this one wasthe best yet, with plenty ofvariety, and a lot more carclub displays. There wassome rare and lovely stuffon show like a fabulousAlfa 2600 Coupe that I hadnot seen before, along withthe red and slightly fadedSeries 3 Alfasud, the JuniorZagato, the Fiat 128, andand and . . . I've had plentyof comments from theAbarthisti on how theyenjoyed the relaxed natureof the day, the displays,the track action and thepair that took their cars upthe hill really enjoyed theexperience. This was our last major

outdoor event of the year,as it will prove to be formany I suspect, and it willremain in the memory as afitting finale for a greatyear. Thanks to you andthe team for all the AutoItalia events during theyear, and here's to 2015! Colin RearAbarthisti

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WRITE TO THE EDITOR AT: AUTO ITALIA, GINGER BEER PROMOTIONS LTD,MORNINGSIDE HOUSE, 1 HIGH AVENUE, LETCHWORTH, HERTFORDSHIRE,SG63RL OR EMAIL [email protected]

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Grugliasco where the revamped former Bertone factorybuilds the Maserati Quattroporte, the Ghibli andprobably the future Alfa Romeo ‘Giulia’.We headed out of the city over the Ponte Vittorio

Emanuele 1, the big bridge that crosses the River Po.The river is a natural barrier between the city’s gridpatterned streets and the scenic back drop of woodedhillside to the east. As we crossed the bridge we notedthe weir where the Minis crossed the river in the ItalianJob and where the Polizia Alfa Giulia floated away. Infront of us was the Chiesa della Gran Madre di Dio, thewide flight of steps leading up to the impressivedomed church, another Italian Job feature where oncea fleet of red, white and blue Minis cascaded down.Our route out of Turin was busy with early morning

commuter traffic and the lanes were narrow. However,the height of the 500X is an advantage enabling thedriver to plan the route ahead and spot the gaps in thetraffic. The all round visibility is very good and the hugemirrors are excellent. The first version we drove wasthe all-wheel drive 140HP 2.0 MultiJet with a 9-speedgearbox. Given the torque range of the engine quitewhy nine gears are required is best known to ZF whobuilt the gearbox. In reality, with the system set toauto, we had little idea of which ratio was in operationanyway. It just drove along smoothly with most of thechanges being imperceptible.The steering felt very slightly over geared and

somewhat remote but this is just an observation andnot an issue. The brake pedal had plenty of feel and

not at all ‘French’, which was appreciated. Out into thecountryside towards Asti and beyond the 500X was apleasure to drive. Time to try the Sport mode. Theengine holds onto the revs longer and the powerdelivery changes from smooth to brisk, enough to beinteresting. With plenty of torque in the normal gearranges, ie first to sixth, overtaking was effortless byjust flicking the paddle shift down a notch.The final section of the test route was a 40km

stretch of the A4 motorway that ended at our Baloccotest track destination. The 500X is a very competentAutostrada cruiser and this is where the extra ratioscome in. At 160km in 9th gear the engine was pullingjust 2500rpm. The sound level in the cabin at thisspeed was commendably low, you could go a long wayin this vehicle in its very comfortable and civilisedenvironment – and not use a lot of fuel.At Balocco we transfered to a Grigio Arte ‘hearing aid

beige’ 1.4 Turbo 2wd to check out the lower end of thecomprehensive 500X range. Lower end does not meaninferior. To me this power unit works very well in anyFiat or Alfa Romeo application. This 500X feels moresprightly than its bigger sibling but no less refined. Thesix speed manual gearbox was a delight to use and,quite frankly, as an everyday driver it ticked all theright boxes, especially value for money.Fiat have a very important car here that deserves

success. The 500X has the right number ofapplications that all share the same build quality andefficiency. Top transport for the school run as well . . .

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FIAT 500X

drive), and the powerful 187 HP 2.4-litre TigersharkMultiAir2 (9-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive) petrol engines. The following turbodiesel power units will also

become available in some markets: the 95 HP 1.3MultiJet II (5-speed manual gearbox and front-wheeldrive), and the 140 HP 2.0 MultiJet II (6-speed manualgearbox and four-wheel drive).

The 500X is the first Fiat to offer nine-speed automatictransmission. This transmission is available with the170 HP 1.4 Turbo MultiAir II petrol engine and the 140HP 2.0 MultiJet II turbodiesel. Electronically controlled,the new transmission features specific mapping, withthe option to switch to manual-sequential mode.The four-wheel drive system incorporates a rear axle

disconnection system that reduces energy wastedthrough drag when four-wheel drive operation is not

Depending on the EMEA (Europe, Middle East andAfrica) market, the 500X is available with variouscombinations of engine, gearbox and transmission. USAversions will be called the 500X and 500X Trekking andwill be available in 2016.Available at the European launch will be the 140 HP

1.4 Turbo MultiAir2 (front-wheel drive and 6-speedmanual gearbox), the 110 HP 1.6 ‘E-torQ’ (5-speedmanual gearbox and front-wheel drive), the 120 HP 1.6MultiJet II (front-wheel drive and 6-speed manualgearbox) and the 140 HP 2.0 MultiJet II (9-speedautomatic transmission and four-wheel drive). The 140 HP 1.4 Turbo MultiAir II engine will also be

available with front-wheel drive and 6-speed dualclutch automatic transmission.The USA market will get the 170 HP 1.4 Turbo

MultiAir2 (9-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel

ENGINE VARIATIONS

DRIVE TRAIN

ABOVE: The Crossoverdescription keeps the 500Xhonest in that it is onlydesigned to be anoccasional off-roader


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required, thus ensuring more efficient fuelconsumption. This is the only vehicle in its segment tooffer this feature, with the exception of the JeepRenegade, the 500X's rear-axle disconnect switchesbetween two- and four-wheel drive for accurate torquemanagement without driver input.Fiat call its transmission option switch the ‘Mood

Selector’, which changes the behaviour of the engine,brakes, steering and gearbox (in the case of automatictransmission), permitting three choices based on thedriving style most appropriate to road conditions: Auto(for the best in terms of comfort, consumption andCO2 emissions), Sport (for a drive that favoursperformance) and All Weather (for maximum safetyeven in poor grip conditions). On 4wd versions, the All Weather mode is replaced

by the ‘Traction’ function, which speeds up thetransmission of torque to the rear axle. On front-wheel

drive versions, the function activates the ‘Traction Plus’control system, which improves grip on tough, slipperyterrain, for more economical, eco-friendly operationcompared to conventional four-wheel drive, increasingefficiency during moderate off-road use.

There are five trim levels: Pop, Popstar and Lounge forgeneral purpose vehicles and Cross and Cross Plus forthe 4wds. There are 12 body colours: Blu Venezia, Rosso Perla, Rossa Passione, Arancio,Giallo Amalfi Tristrato, Bianco Gelato, Grigio Argento,Grigio Arte, Bronzo Magnetico, Bronzo MagneticoOpaco, Verde Toscan and Nero Cinema. The eight alloywheels choices come in three different sizes of 16-, 17-and 18-inches. Interior trim choices include sevenconfigurations, created by combining different types offabric, leather, finishes and colours. III

ENGINE: 1368cc, 4-cylinder petrol turbo, SOHC 1598cc ,4-cylinder diesel turbo, DOHC 1956cc, 4-cylinder diesel turbo, DOHC BORE X STROKE: 72mm x 84mm 79.5mm x 80.5mm 83mm x 90.4mmPOWER: 140hp @ 5000rpm 120hp @ 3750rpm 140hp @ 4000rpmTORQUE: 230Nm @ 1750rpm 320Nm @ 1750rpm 350Nm @ 1750rpmTRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual, FWD 6-speed manual, FWD 9-speed auto, 4WDWHEELS & TYRES: 215/60 R16, 215/55 R17 or 225/45 R18 215/60 R16, 215/55 R17 or 225/45 R18 215/60 R16, 215/55 R17 or 225/45 R18KERB WEIGHT: 1320kg 1320kg 1495kgFUEL CONSUMPTION: 36mpg (combined) 60mpg (combined) 51mpg (combined)TOP SPEED: 119mph 116mph 119mphPRICE: £14,595 £20,845 £25,845

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSFIAT 500X 1.4 MULTIAIR 140HP 1.6 MULTIJET 120HP 2.0 MULTIJET 140HP

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

BELOW LEFT: The 500X hasa range of attractive, quality interior trim. GrigioArte is one of the 12 bodycolours to choose from


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Superiority DefinedTwice the price of a 275 GTB when new, Ferrari’s 500Superfast was the preserve of the super richStory by Simon ParkPhotography by Michael Ward

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the 410 was replaced by the 400 Superamerica, in1959, Pininfarina responded with three moreSuperfast show cars, the first of them (Superfast II –keep up at the back) appearing at the Turin Salon of1960. Gone were the tailfins, in their place a slipperyfastback design, heavily influenced by the Alfa R -omeo – yes – Superflow show cars which appearedbetween 1956 and 1960. All frightfully super, dahling– and there was more to come. The shape would befurther refined with Superfasts III and IV, and all ofthem were essentially part of a series of coupeslabelled, collectively, Aerodinamico, which directlyinformed the shape and style of the fifth, final anddefinitive Superfast, the 500.

Starting with the down-sized 4.0-litre 400, theSuperfasts’ numeric monikers, uniquely, reflected theV12’s total nominal capacity rather than that of anindividual cylinder. So in fact, the 500’s displacementwas identical to that of the 410, at 4962cc; but it wasan entirely new engine, designated Tipo 208, whichessentially united Lampredi’s ‘long block’ withdetachable hemispherical heads, each with a singlechain-driven overhead camshaft, as originally designedby Gioacchino Colombo. While Ferrari claimed 340bhp at6000rpm for the 410, the 500 boasted an epic (for thetime) 400bhp at 6500rpm from the same capacity – asuspiciously round and probably fanciful number which,nonetheless, would have greatly impressed theplutocrats at which it was aimed.The 5.0-litre behemoth bowed in at the 1964 Geneva

Salon, just weeks after the debut of its humbler sister,the plebeian 330 GT, much of whose underpinnings itshared, including the same wheelbase and track. But,in order to distinguish it from the 330, the tubularsteel frame of the 500 was clothed by Pininfarina inbodywork far more extravagantly voluptuous, whose

Had the Ayatollah Khomeini pulled off hisIranian coup d’état 20 years earlier, theshockwaves would have travelled farbeyond Tehran – all the way to Italy andModena’s Chamber of Commerce, in fact.

The last occupant of the Peacock Throne was a serialconsumer of exotic motorcars, but it was a passion(along, quite probably, with a number of others) notshared by the crusty old killjoy who kicked him out; soEmilio-Romagna’s Terra di Motori would have lost, at astroke, a succulent source of business.The Shah had extravagant tastes, and in 1958 it was

he who inspired Maserati’s monumental 5000GT. Downthe road in Maranello, Enzo Ferrari’s principalpreoccupation, as always, was funding his belovedracing, and big spenders such as Iran’s ruler were cashcows to be nurtured and indulged. Ferrari was wellaware, too, that most of these mega-rich (potential)clients – industrialists, bankers, film stars, the odd king– didn’t want a road-going racing car; they wantedeffortless opulence, all the right (big) numbers,exclusivity and the cachet of his increasinglyprestigious name. And they would pay well for it.From the early 1950s Ferrari had catered for this

lucrative niche market with a sub-dynasty of large andluxurious coupes initiated, in 1951, by the 340 America– the name offering a bit of a clue to its target market(along with eastern potentates, of course). Using theAurelio Lampredi-designed, ‘long-block’, fixed-cylinderhead V12 introduced in 1950, the 4.1-litre 340 begatthe 375 (4.5-litres, in 1952) which in turn begat the410, displacing 4962cc. Appearing at the BrusselsSalon of 1956, the 410 was promoted to Superamericastatus – which might be considered a grovel too far.But the new name must have inspired Pininfarina,

who produced a wild, be-finned one-off for the ParisShow that year which was definitely more Miami thanMaranello, and called the 410 Superfast. Then, when

SUPERFAST GENEALOGY


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but precise steering, unassisted here, which is low-geared by modern standards; and its large diametermeans hands and arms are kept busy, but it’s nothinglike as heavy at low speed as some contemporarysystems. The long, leather-gaitered gear lever operatesin a widely-spaced gate but is exquisitely precise for allthat – although the synchromesh doesn’t care forhurried down-changes. Braking is unexceptionable,being both reassuringly solid and progressive; butclutch and accelerator pedals, too, are definitely ‘long-throw’, and like the steering and the gear changereflect the muscularity and scale of the car as a whole.

As does the awesome V12 up front. It seems quiet anddistant until aroused, but then it starts to thunder like abig ‘twelve’ should. There’s some noticeable flywheelinertia compared to the ‘little’ 3.0-litre 250-series engine,for example, but once it’s up and revving it’s spectacular.

However genuine the claimed 400bhp, it’s undeniably amonster of a motor, with stupendous torque and no real‘step’ in its power delivery. I confess I didn’t harass thered line, in deference to the new owner, but at five thouit felt as if it was just getting into its stride...And that’s the Superfast’s long suit – a long stride

for long distances. The ride is never less thancosseting and the handling surprisingly neutral. Thebig coupe responds nicely to the throttle – a bit toomuch right foot with any lock applied risks instantplough-on understeer, but a lift will bring it back toheel. Fast sweeping A-roads, giving it space tobreathe, suit it perfectly – there’s some modest bodyroll, as you’d expect, but it never threatens to upsetthe car’s composure, and the big 70-profile Michelins,with their properly tall sidewalls, offer the perfectperiod mix of grip and predictability – so much nicerthan today’s ludicrous ‘rubber bands’.So, the SF does what was expected of it – always

ABOVE: The 5-litre V12 wasclaimed to develop 400bhp,which was the highestpower output for roadgoingFerrari at the time

ROLLING THUNDER


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FERRARI 500 SUPERFAST


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assuming you weren’t expecting to get too involved. And here, comparisons witharch rival Maserati’s 5.0-litre flagship are interesting. The 5000GT’s arrival in 1959coincided with that of Maranello’s somewhat enfeebled 4.0-litre Superamerica, andfor a while nearby Modena could fairly lay claim to the world’s fastest and mostcovetable gentlemen’s GT. By the time Ferrari caught up, five years later, the bigMaser was history and the Superfast assumed its crown, at least a match for it inevery area except one – sheer character. There’s little between them in terms ofraw speed, and the Ferrari is the smoother operator all round, with no rough edgesto speak of. But the Maserati, its racing roots still showing, has a visceral appealand a sheer joie-de-vivre that leave a deeper impression, a warmer glow.Whether the Shah, who owned both, agreed with that assessment we’ll never

know. One of his Superfasts languishes in the National Car Museum of Iran (yes,it really exists) to this day, which might be considered something of a waste...But, tastefully luxurious and impressively quick though it is, the big Ferraridoesn’t really feel twice as special as either a contemporary Royce – which wasmore sumptuous still – or its 275 GTB sibling, which was every bit as quick inreal-world terms, arguably prettier and certainly a lot more fun to drive. Thenagain, for rarity and sheer presence – especially in this delectable colour – the500 will trump just about anything it meets. Me, I’ll take a pair of 275 GTBs, please – in Turquoise Blue. III

Our thanks to John Collins at Talacrest who provided the Ferrari 500 Superfast and to its current owner John M. Lo

MASERATI RIVAL

ENGINE: 60° V12, SOHC, front-mounted in-line CAPACITY: 4962ccBORE X STROKE: 88mm x 68mmCOMPRESSION RATIO: 8.8:1FUEL SYSTEM: 3 x Weber 40DCZ/6 carburettorsPOWER: 400bhp @ 6500rpmTORQUE: 351lb ft @ 4750rpmTRANSMISSION: 5-speed manual, rear-wheel driveBRAKES: Dunlop discs all roundSTEERING: Worm & rollerWHEELS: Borrani wires, 7J x 15”TYRES: 215/70 VR15 Michelin XWX 2SUSPENSION: Front: double wishbones, coil springs

telescopic dampers. Rear: live axle,semi-elliptical leaf springs,

KERB WEIGHT: 1730kgTOP SPEED: 170mph0-62MPH: 6.5sec

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONSFERRARI 500 SUPERFAST



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snapper Rick McBride of a vivid yellow example parkedin Rome’s Piazza Campidoglio filtered through to newsdesks the world over, sales success appeared a mereformality. Distribution was now the responsibility ofselected Lincoln-Mercury dealers: priced at a whiskerbelow $10,000, and said to be capable of 150mph, thislow-flying projectile represented a slice of exotica forthat was tantalisingly in reach of mere mortals.And then the press got their dabs on it. Road &

Track’s exclusive test stated in the subhead: ‘Superbstyling and shattering performance at a realistic pricealthough there are some economies evident inequipment and detail finish’. Most road testerseulogised over the Pantera’s straight-line performance,but railed against just about everything else. Onrealising the extent of the Pantera’s problems, Fordofficials initiated a massive redevelopment programmewith California’s Bill Stroppe, North Carolina’s HolmanMoody and Michigan’s Dearborn Steel & Tubeaccepting cars for remedial sorting. Fuel tanks wereremoved and coated with fibreglass to seal leaks andplates were welded to the front and rear suspensionmounting points for reinforcement and larger coolantcatch tanks were installed.

The cost of all this work ensured the Pantera’sdays as a Ford-backed product were numbered. Stop,cried the accountants and, by 1974, the Detroitgiant’s dalliance with the supercar market was over.Wily Alejandro, never happy as a mere employee,sold his remaining interests to Ford, including thebalance of the Ghia styling house, but retained therights to the de Tomaso company name. Andalthough direct connections were severed in ’74,Pantera production soon resumed and continued,albeit patchily, into the early ’90s.There is no escaping the fact that some of the

subsequent restyles appeared to be thinly veiledattempts at extracting new blood from old stones.Tjaarda’s original remains one of the finest examples ofsupercar architecture ever committed to metal, but thathasn’t stopped the aftermarket industry or individualsfrom trying to improve upon it. The car pictured hererepresents the realisation of a long-nurtured ambitionfor owner Thomas Hillary, a man who has invested morethan just money in creating his dream car.“I know it sounds like a cliché, but the Pantera GT5

was my Athena poster as a boy,” he says. “I wasprobably about eight-years-old playing Top Trumps and

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DE TOMASO PANTERA

my particular set had this extraordinary bright redvision of aerodynamic excess as its Top Trump. I was areasonably well read youngster and knew myTestarossa from my Countach and found it odd thatthis car I had never heard of had so much power,torque and sheer glamour. My parents did the decentthing and tracked down a poster for me.”Fast-forward to Bonham’s 2011 Goodwood Festival of

Speed sale and Hillary realised his ambition of owning aPantera – from Singapore, where he was working at thetime. This was just the start of it. “With any car thatyou buy at auction, let alone one you have boughtunseen from 11,000km away, you always anticipatesome work will need to be done. Disappointment at thesheer volume of work we undertook was soonovertaken by the time I picked up a fully operable carafter about a year’s worth of work.”Undeniably striking with its steroidal arches and

super-rare Campagnolo Gp4 magnesium wheels, thecar began life in 1973 as a standard ‘L’ model and wassubsequently converted to GT5 spec. “It was upgradedin the early 1980s and family owned for many years. Afull restoration was undertaken in the early ’90s, duringwhich both floorpans were lowered as per the Gp4

racing cars, which served to flatten the underbodywhile also affording some extra headroom. The colouris not original: it’s Porsche Iris blue. The interior wasalso re-trimmed in leather throughout. Original Panteraseats are dreadful big sofas with ruffled leather andthe previous owner later decided to fit some seats withgreater lateral support. They are TVR Cerbera itemswith inflatable lumbar support. They were trimmed tomatch the rest of the interior.”The heart of the beast is a Ford ‘Cleveland’ V8 which

was bored and stroked to 393cu in (6440cc). Theengine build took four months, the only remainingfactory parts being the cylinder block and headcastings which were rebuilt and extensively modified.The standout feature is the serpentine Hall Panteraexhaust arrangement which emerges through the rearpanel rather than being underslung. It serves to furtherheighten the sense of theatre. There is always a sense of occasion with old

supercars, ‘will it fire before it catches fire?’ being lessof a joke and more an actual concern. Not so here.After a few prods on the long-travel throttle pedal, theangry V8 denotes sound out of its back pipes. There’snone of the disappointment you get with most modern

ABOVE: The Pantera runson rare, wide CampagnoloGp4 magnesium wheels.Power output is a genuine471bhp at 6000rpm


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day supercars with their flat-plane crank parps.Instead, you get the sound of an angry bent eight thatcould only be American in origin. It idles at just 650rpm,but hit 4000rpm and its furies are furious indeed. Theengine produces a certified 471bhp at 6000rpm (justbelow the rev-limiter). It’s also packing a thumping466lb ft of the good stuff at 4100rpm. There is no roomfor tactility here but the engine is so tractable thanksto all that lovely low-down torque that you can moveoff while barely touching the accelerator. The five-speed ZF ’box requires a firm hand, which is to beexpected, but it’s positive enough with a discernibleclunk against the stops. However, you don’t really need to work the gears as

acceleration is brutal, even in top. It emits the sort ofsurround sound fanfare that you image will accompanyArmageddon and the sustained shove is precisely that:a shove. You feel part of the action rather thandetached from it. The steering is heavy but informativeas the wheel writhes and wriggles in your hand. Evenon the sticky Pirelli P Zero rubber, there’s littletramlining to nudge the car off line, only a sense ofintimacy, which is hugely appealing. The Pantera’s chassis was good to begin with, which

is to be expected of a Gian Paolo Dallara design, but

this car’s set-up feels more honed than most. Turn inunder power in a low gear and it will run wide, but backoff a touch and its attitude is soon corrected with littlemore than a flick of the steering. There is no unsettlinglurch or pendulum effect shenanigans, just areassuring sense of surefootedness. The car cornersflatly with no loss of equilibrium and you can powerthrough tight bends without the tail budging an inch.Its composure is rock-solid. Panteras have always polarised opinion. The model

was gradually developed and enhanced but, at heart,it remained much the same car it always was – asensational-looking machine with electrifyingperformance; a car that did much to outlive its parts-bin-thieving image. People who love Panteras, reallylove them to the point that there simply is no othersupercar. Hillary remains enthralled: “A pretty startlingamount has been spent on the car but I am so happywith the result and the fast appreciating valuesatisfies my man-maths. On the right day, in the rightweather, it is everything that I ever dreamed it wouldbe.” But then the Pantera always was a much bettercar than history would have you believe. It survivedagainst all odds on the strength of its personality,and this example has character to spare. III

RIGHT: Elaborate HallPantera exhaust systemfrom California dominatesthe engine bay


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DE TOMASO PANTERA


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Elaborazione BertoneSpotted at a classic car sale, this Alfa RomeoGiulietta Sprint is thought to be a rare specialequipment option Turin show carStory by Ruoteclassiche/Alessandro Barteletti Photography Ruoteclassiche/Paolo Carlini

In 1951 the Alfa Romeo management decided toend its racing activities and concentrate onbuilding road cars. It had introduced the 1900berlina in 1950, Alfa’s first ‘modern’ car to be builton a production scale. Although it was a valid

attempt to bring a volume car to the public’sattention it carried over pre-war technology and afresh new model was needed to boost sales to awider, younger audience. Enter the Giulietta.As far as the title goes, there are various stories

relating to its origin. The most widely acceptedversion originated in Paris, October 1950, in arestaurant during a dinner to celebrate thepresentation of the 1900 berlina at the Show. At the

restaurant was an impoverished Russian prince,known for frequenting Parisian venues. Of theguests at the Alfa Romeo table, the princeexclaimed: “There are eight Romeos and not a singleJuliet!” When the time came to choose the mostappropriate name for the new car, the managementrecalled the prince’s words and so the ‘Tipo 750’became the ‘Giulietta’. Well, that’s the story . . . Designed by Franco Scaglione, the Giulietta Sprint

was aerodynamic, light and aggressive, it was amasterpiece. When the Sprint was officiallypresented to the public at the 1954 Turin MotorShow it was an immediate hit. There were around2000 orders, numbers that took Alfa Romeo and the

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The Giulietta Sprint could reach a top speed of170km/h. Later it was possible to increase theperformance to achieve 180km/h for racing teams andthe Giulietta Sprint Veloce was created in 1956. At itsdébut in the legendary Mille Miglia it took eleventhplace overall behind cars of double the capacity butimportantly ahead of all of the Porsche 356s. In 1957, the Giulietta TI arrived (Turismo

Internazionale) and also the Giulietta Sprint Specialewith bodywork inspired by the 1952 Disco Volante.Power output was boosted to 100hp, in order topropel the car up to 190km/h, unprecedentedperformance for a small capacity car at the time. TheGiulietta SZ followed the SS in 1960 and offered

Bertone body shop, which was to build thebodywork, completely by surprise. This was the first time that a new model had been

presented as a coupé version rather than the saloon.Though Alfa Romeo had intended to launch the berlinafirst, it was decided that it needed more developmentwith respect to the sound proofing which wasconsidered to be inadequate for a family saloon.A completely new engine also made its début with

the Giulietta Sprint, an engine which even invented adisplacement – the ‘1300’. This 1290cc all alloy twin-cam was to become one of the most importantengines in the history of Alfa Romeo. It hadperformance, lightness and reliability.


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gentleman drivers a car in which to compete in theGran Turismo category. Built by Carrozzeria Zagato,historic partner of Alfa Romeo, the companyassumed an important role in the SZ’s conception.With lightweight bodywork the SZ weighed just840kg and was capable of 200km/h.The final car in the Giulietta family was the ‘1300

Sprint’ which brought production of the range to anend in 1965. After 177,700 units were built, theGiulietta made way for the similar looking but largerengined 1600 Giulia.

Although they are sought after by Alfa Romeoenthusiasts and collectors, Giulietta Sprints are notexactly rare. However, occasionally somethingspecial surfaces. Three years ago, some details of asorry looking ‘Sprint’ that was for saleattracted the attention ofrenowned Italiancollector

Corrado Lopresto. He decided to buy the car despiteits poor condition and set about restoring it.Lopresto’s eye for the unusual paid off as the carturned out to be a unique ‘versione speciale’ thatwas presented by Bertone at the 1956 Turin show.At Padova’s famous Auto e Moto d’Epoca show in

October 2011 there were over 1000 cars for sale in alarge market place open to the general public,attracting car enthusiasts and experts from all overEurope. A tired Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint stood onits own in a corner, disregarded by the crowd.Nobody really paid attention to it. WhenCorrado Lopresto passed by, hecaught sight of it and stoppedfor a closer look. His

PADOVA DISCOVERY

ABOVE: A collector with akeen eye for detail realisedthat this tired Giulietta wassomething special


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ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA SPRINT

The history of the featured Sprint goes back to 1956.On 26th April, three Giulietta Sprints were displayed onBertone’s stand at the Turin automobile show: ametallic gold painted cabriolet prototype held court inthe centre, flanked by two specially equipped coupés, ared one to the left, a white one to the right. In hiscatalogue Bertone pompously announced: “Specialfitting, finishing and accessories for Alfa RomeoGiulietta Sprint automobiles”. This was an attempt tocatch the interest of a sophisticated client groupwanting to add a touch of exclusivity to their already

exclusive Sprints. The two coupes on displayin Turin showed the full range of

options available: windowquarter lights, fog

lights, leatherupholstery, a

scrutinizing eyes went beyond the faded paint, the dullglass of the lights and the worn out interior. He keptfocusing on a few significant details which hadswitched on something in his mind: the window quarterlights, the leather upholstery and the fog lamps wereclearly the evidence of a one-off fitting. There was no

time for long thought, Corrado approached thedealer, quickly negotiated the price

and left with his newpurchase.

1956 TURIN SHOW


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customized steering wheel, a car radio, a clock in themiddle of the dashboard, tailor made suitcases, whitefront and rear window seals and – a gem for the carshow – chrome wheel centres with fake hub spinners. According to Alfa Romeo’s Documentation Centre

records, the Giulietta Sprint purchased by CorradoLopresto was built about the same time as thespecimens on display in Turin, having beenmanufactured on 13th March 1956, which was justbefore the Turin Show and it was sold a few daysafterwards by GAP, the official French importer basedin Paris. In fact, the car purchased by Lopresto inPadova carried a French license plate. Unfortunately,proving that this specific chassis number wasconsistent with the special equipment sets exhibitedin Turin was a complicated matter. For the carsmanufactured in those years, Alfa Romeo’s Registerwere quite incomplete, and matching specimens withspecial completion ordered by buyers is very difficult.At any event, Bertone’s catalogue clearly stated that“the window quarter lights can only be supplied ifordered at the time of signing off the list of specialequipment items”, and the window quarter lights ofLopresto’s car were identical to the ones of thespecimens exhibited in Turin. So, based on this fact, Lopresto decided to restore

his new acquisition in accordance with thecharacteristics of the Turin Show’s special equipmentprovided by Bertone. The only difference was theposition of the fog lights, arranged centrally in

Lopresto’s version in respect to the Turin’s specimen.The difference is possibly due to a replacementoccurring years afterwards. The accurate restorationwork resulted in an elegant blue car (remains of theoriginal paint were found below the many layers, thered paint was a more recent addition) with whiterubber window seals, moulded specifically for therestoration. Although some fans of this model mayargue that these details are too garish and perhapstake away some of the car’s grace, it should beacknowledged that this Giulietta Sprint is anexceptional example, perhaps the only one, of anexclusive set created by Bertone, the samecoachbuilder who had created this coupé whichcelebrated its sixtieth anniversary in 2014. The interior is a good reminder of 1950s design and

fortunately Lopresto managed to preserve the originalupholstery. The seats, side panel leather, carpets andheadlining have all been accurately restored. Loprestoproudly declares: “I like to challenge the craftsmen Iwork with. Some restorers use materials which,although compatible with the period, are‘contaminated’ as they are a modern replicas of originalones. I do something else. I reuse the old leather, theoriginal worn out carpets and torn coverings in theattempt to rescue and preserve everything I can. Lookat the carpet, for example: I had it repaired, dyed andlined. Small patches of fabrics were cut out to piecetogether rips and small holes. Reuse is – indeed – myrestoration philosophy. III

BELOW: White window sealswere one of the specialequipment accessoriesoffered by Bertone


Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider 1961

Alfa Romeo Alfetta RHD 1983 Alfa Romeo RZ 1993

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Carrozzeria RivaThe Riva name is more commonly associated with speedboats,but it was also the name of a Milanese coachbuilderStory by Elvio DeganelloPhotography by Archivi Deganello

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initiated GT racing and Formula Junior.Within Riva’s archives there are some photographs

from the late 1930s that depict some Lancia Augustaand Bianchi S9 saloons transformed into ambulancesand vans, which was certainly a more suitable projectduring the onset of WWII than the prospect ofbuilding up market saloons. When the war endedMario Riva took over the family business, assisted byhis sons Erminio and Luigi.Carrozzeria Riva started to build vans and small

trucks once more and added a giardiniera to itsproduction range that had the rear bodywork made ofwood. This was a sensible move because metal wasrationed during the period of post-war austerity.Among the custom-built vehicles built by Carrozzeria

Riva was a giardiniera styled body fitted to the chassisof a US military Willys Jeep, acquired by them from theARAR (Azionola Rilievo Alienazione Resioluati) warsurplus company that the Italian Government had setup to relieve the shortage of post-war civilian vehicles.While Riva was browsing the ARAR storage fields

they obtained other vehicles of various makes fortransformation into vans and pickup trucks. Duringthese difficult mend and make do years, attentionwas returning to building racing cars and manyartisans and drivers were mixing fantasy with specialskills to create new cars made from parts of old usedvehicles. In this context, Carrozzeria Riva dressed thebodywork for racing cars on Lancia Aprilia and Fiat1100 chassis with mechanics prepared by Luigi Paganiand Gian Paolo Volpini in Milan.Success in competition gained notoriety for Riva and

in 1947 this recognition led to a tempting order forbodies for the ALCA Volpe (Fox), a much anticipatedmicro car because it had been very well publicizednationally. After building a dozen body shells for theVolpe, Riva stopped because no one was going tocollect those cars, much less to pay them. Riva learnedfrom the newspapers that the Volpe was at the centreof a scam, which allowed the organisers to collect 300million lire deposits and then promptly disappear.Fortunately Carrozzeria Riva was able to continue itsactivities without too much disruption.In 1949 Count Lurani asked Riva to work on a BMW

328 chassis and developed a style that Luranipresented himself with colourful descriptions andsketches. From the count’s idea Erminio and LuigiRiva masterfully created the Veritas berlinetta that

In the second half of the nineteenth century,Aniceto Riva started Fabbrica di Carrozze AnicetoRiva to build agricultural and commercial vehiclesin Merate, near Milan. The quality of Riva’sagricultural vehicles came to the attention of

members of the Milanese bourgeoisie who hadsummer homes in the Merate area. Some of thesewealthy people asked Aniceto Riva to build eleganthorse drawn carriages. Around 1910 one of theseclients commissioned Aniceto Riva to build carbodywork for the first time, it was a double phaetonbody mounted on an Itala chassis.In the Riva archives there are some sketches for

bodywork traced in pencil by Venusto Riva, the son ofAniceto, who was the creative member of the family.Unfortunately Venusto Riva died prematurely in 1912and this circumstance slowed down the final passageof Carrozzeria Riva from horse-drawn carriages toautomobiles. The final transition eventually took placein 1934 when Mario Riva, the second of Aniceto Riva’sseven children, changed the company name toCarrozzeria Mario Riva to concentrate on building vansand small trucks. These humble vehicles not onlyenabled the company to prosper, but also establishedthe Riva name as a key player in automotive history.There is one Riva car that has a well documented

history, the Nibbio (bat) built as a speed recordchallenger for Count Giovanni Lurani Cernuschi. Luraniwas the eighth Earl of Calvenzano, an engineer, racingdriver and journalist who lived in a large villa just onekilometre from Carrozzeria Riva. The proximity of thecount’s villa to the coachbuilder's workshop fosteredthe collaboration between Lurani and Riva, born out ofa mutual satisfaction in the preparation anddevelopment of the count’s racing cars.The little red Moto Guzzi powered Nibbio set several

speed records and in 1935 the first version, Nibbio 1,was the first 500cc car to exceed 100mph. The 350ccNibbio 2 broke long distance records at Monza in 1956.Count Lurani raced a variety of cars including

Salmson, Derby, Alfa Romeo and Maserati. Hecompeted in 11 Mille Miglias achieving three class winsand won the 1929 Brooklands Double Twelve. In 1937he founded Scuderia Ambrosiana along with Villoresiand Cortese. A bad accident at Crystal Place in 1938when racing a Maserati 4CM ended his single-seatercareer although he continued to race sportscars until1953. Later, when working together with the FIA, he -

ABOVE: Count Lurani’sMaserati 4CS probably hadinput from Aniceto RivaLEFT: This 1924 Alfa RomeoRLSS Targa Florio wasrestored by Carrozzeria Riva

Moto Guzzi powered Nibbio 1 setseveral speed records in 1935


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was pleasant to look at and had a personality of itsown, even if it did mirror the style of the Cisitalia202 by Pinin Farina. The car’s bonnet carried a largehump because of the mechanics of the rather datedBMW 328. The front of the Riva BMW-Veritas wasless innovative than that of the Cisitalia, a car thatset new standards in automotive architecture. Therear of the car was more creative where the wingsflowed into the boot to define a single volume inassociation with the roof.Count Lurani’s wife Ivonne loved the BMW-Veritas

Riva and asked for similar bodywork to be fitted tothe chassis of a Fiat 1100B. Riva devised the noveltyof an elliptical grille adorned with a star motif andgave this model the name ‘Tipo Monza’. On August30, 1949, Countess Lurani entered her Riva Monza inthe 1st Internazionale d’Eleganza of the Venice Lido

and three weeks later in the 10th Concoursd'Elegance Villa d'Este. Although the Countess wontwo small prizes, for Riva the result of participatingin concours competitions was exceptional becausethe press brought their name and skill to a nationallevel. Customers from different regions of Italyordered 1100 Monzas and Riva began to develop thestyle by changing some minor details withoutcompromising the overall design.Erminio Riva, having realised the importance of

participating in Concours d'Elegance, personallypresented a car at the Concours d'Elegance of Nervi inJune 1950. The car was a Fiat 1100E ‘Tipo Monza’finished in black with a green leather interior and it wonthe first award in the category D class XI (outsidenational series closed up to 1100cc).On August 27, 1950, a customer from Trieste

ABOVE: The Riva ALCAVolpe was the subject of asales scam in 1947. This isone of the 12 abandonedbodyshells that wassubsequently completed

Photo: Frank Cunningham www.allcarcentral.com

1940 Lancia Augusta ambulanceprobably converted from a private car

1947 Fiat 1100 Sport barchetta withtwin-cam engine prepared by Pagani

Riva Pagani barchetta


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ITALIAN COACHBUILDERS

participated in the Concours d'Elegance at the VeniceLido and was awarded the Grand Prix with an AlfaRomeo 2500 by Riva on a tubular CABI-Cattaneochassis. The sleek sedan had a similar style to the 1100‘Tipo Monza’, but also introduced three Buick-style sideair vents and the rear doors were blended into the rearwings. The new creation was christened ‘Serenissima’in homage to the ancient name of the Republic ofVenice and was exhibited in several Italian dealerships.It received much admiration and also some purchaserequests. However, nothing materialised because ofthe difficulty in reaching a commercial agreementbetween CABI and Alfa Romeo.In 1951 Riva used the ‘Serenissima’ title again, this

time for a Fiat 1400. Riva developed the designthemes and included a spacious 4-seater coupe withdetail differences in headlight and bumper styles.

After 12 examples had been built the chapter ofcustom-bodied made by Riva was closed.Carrozzeria Riva gained international renown with its

successful series of Monza and Serenissimaberlinettas. After this brief episode the companyreturned to its previous business interests.It is legitimate to ask why Riva chose to exit the

market when they were at the height of success withaesthetic quality and were proved to be able tocompete with the big names of Italian style. Somebelieve that Erminio and Luigi Riva had exhausted theircreative streak, but this assumption contrasts with thefact that they went on to invent new types of bodies,such as mobile showrooms and also entered thespectacular world of advertising vehicles. Theexplanation is more likely to be the difficulty inorganising production and in creating a national sales

ABOVE: 1949 BMW-Veritaswith Riva bodywork forCount Lurani BELOW: The concourswinning 1950 Alfa Romeo2500. Did it survive?

1948 Fiat 1100L Giardiniera using wood panellingto substitute scarce post-war metal

1950 concours winning Fiat 1100 E MonzaCoupe as featured in Auto Italiana1951 Fiat 1100 E Autovetrina

1948 Giardiniera built on warsurplus Willys Jeep chassis

1950 Alfa Romeo 2500


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network to place the cars the company produced.Riva decided to return to solely building

commercial vehicles for the local market becausethey had a preference for the direct relationship withcustomers, traditionally governed by the attractivepayment on delivery terms without the involvementof intermediary dealers. Commercial vehicles set upby Riva ranged from mobile promotional shop-windows, the flagship vehicles for the cycle racingteams, vans to transport meat, ambulances, lorriesand quarry dump trucks – not to mention thelucrative market for funeral hearses.Working with great vigor and determination

Carrozzeria Riva thrived until the 1970s, when theentire automotive industry fell into crisis and itbecame difficult to survive. Erminio and Luigi Rivaattempted to diversify by taking on sheet metal workfor other companies. They also opened anAutobianchi-Citroen dealership called Rivauto, themanagement of which was entrusted to RuggeroRiva, eldest son of Erminio.Carrozzeria Riva also tried the vehicle restoration

route, but at the time the market for classic carswas too small for a company that was locatedhalfway between craft and industry. With structuralcosts increasing the wisest decision was to closethe accounts before they went into the red.Carrozzeria Riva closed in 1978. III

ABOVE: This Fiat 1400Serenissima was the 1951Turin Show car developedfrom the Monza Coupe

1953 Fiat 1100 Mobile Shop

1954 Fiat 140 Hearse

1955 Fiat 615

1955 Lancia Esatau Autotreno

1953 Fiat 1100 103 Giro d’Italia 1958 Fiat 600 Multipla


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Super DeltaThe first Lancia Delta HF integrale to be converted to Evospecification and the last to be rallied within homologationStory by Sean CarsonPhotography by Michael Ward

052_058_AI228_Delta_PW_AI Template 15/12/2014 14:37 Page 52

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By the end of that season Lancia’s grip on the Group Aera was tighter than ever, having won five consecutiveWorld Constructors’ Titles between ’87 and ’91 (this cardoesn’t proudly include the marque’s sixth consecutivevictory on its boot sticker because it was built beforethat final WRC triumph).Over that period the Delta evolved from the HF 4WD

to the integrale, then the integrale 16V. A year afterthis car won the 1000 Lakes is where the second majorheadline comes in: Abarth sent the chassis back to thefactory for further modification, to be converted intoSE050 ‘Evoluzione’ spec – the final incarnation of thecompetition Delta breed.Former owner and racer of Kankkunen’s former

rally cars, Steve Smith of Lancia specialist WalkersGarage, takes up the story.“It was the first non-Evo to be converted to Evo

specification for 1992. It had new management and anew R90 gearbox in place of the older R70 transmission.”This was significant, as the R70 was merely a

Group N spec strengthened road ’box with straightcut gears, the later R90 unit was bespoke for GroupA and much different, with stronger gear clusters toimprove reliability.The changes didn’t just centre on the electronics and

the transmission, however. Nicknamed the ‘Super Delta’or the ‘Deltona’, the Evo had a stiffer bodyshell, evenmore blistered arches and larger wheels toaccommodate the beefier brakes. The suspension wasrevised and aero tweaked for further improvements,which saw the Super Delta eek out a small margin overits older non-Evo siblings.

Fast-forward a few years to 1994 and Smith featuresin the story of the special Delta once more. Heactually bought the car at the end of that year touse in the National Rally Championship the seasonafter, bagging third, fourth and sixth place finishes inthe title over his time campaigning the car.

You know when you’re in the presence ofgreatness, the human body has a sixthsense for something unusual – that’s whyyou get goosebumps, every hair follicle onyour body standing to attention as a

muscle-tensing shiver washes over you.Even without its contemporary entourage of

trucks, mechanics and service park gazebos, whenthe Lancia Delta integrale rolled through the gates ofBlyton Park on a foggy autumn morning, its Martinisplashed silhouette against the low, fatiguing sunwas easy to recognise as something unusual. This isnot your common or garden Delta.Being towed on a trailer gave a big clue, but the

pugnacious, four-square, ground-hugging stance inTarmac spec was a silent exclamation as to this car’spedigree. It’s a window of recollection, this Lancia, towhen your average Giuseppe could go down to theirdealer and buy a road-going rally-rep similar in looksto what the best drivers in the world could tame.

Which is an appropriate place to introduce themajor headline you need to know about this car: it’sthe Lancia Delta integrale 16V Juha Kankkunen wonthe 1991 1000 Lakes Rally in – or it was, as thisproper pedigree Group A machine is running aslightly different spec to when the Finn triumphedat his home event.Kankkunen won the ridiculously quick and

fearsomely challenging 1000 Lakes on localexperience of how to drive the surface, something soimportant on the undulating, loose Finnish foreststages that only nine winners of Rally Finland havecome from outside its borders.But no matter how good Kankkunen’s performance

was, it’d be foolish to assume that one man’s talentsbehind the wheel and another’s not getting car sickin the passenger seat was the only factor in a rallyvictory. The way that crew works with their car andwhat that can deliver is key. And for the 1991 WorldRally Championship the Delta integrale 16V delivered.

RALLY ROYALTY

EVOLUTION OF THE SPECIES

PREPARATION MAKES PERFECT


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From a pampered life under the watchful eyes of thefactory squad, the Martini liveried integrale wanted fornothing. Passing into private hands when Smith tookcustody it led a similarly indulgent existence – well, asmuch as any worked rally car can.While it might be Kankkunen’s name that gives the

Evo (née 16V) its pedigree, it’s Smith’s attention todetail that means this Delta is a period icon. Heprepared the vehicle himself, completely overhauling itthroughout the Lancia’s life in active service, andlavishing the same treatment on it since its retirement.“It’s had new gearbox internals and a new block,”

says Steve. At which point his eyes glint and hestarts to get excited, the Delta’s force-fed motorburbling a flat chord from its exhaust as it warmsthrough its vital fluids beside us.“You wouldn’t get a proper Abarth block now as

they’re like hen’s teeth, so I ground the new blockinside exactly like the original factory part – yousee, it wasn’t machined and all the oil galleries wererough on the inside. “It meant the oil wouldn’t flow smoothly. You

want the galleries as smooth as possible to stop

the oil getting frothed up.”When oil gets thrown around you get cavitation; just

like washing up liquid in a bowl it becomes aerated withbubbles. Bubbles in the oil are bad for an engine. Whileit might look battle scared on the outside, thisfastidious level of detail is what you need to build acompetitive, reliable rally car.

This runs through the whole car, too. “To get down tothe minimum possible weight everything waslightweight,” says Smith. “Lancia went mad with theweight saving – I always say the example that showsjust how far it went with lightweight parts is that eventhe windscreen wiper motor bracket is titanium.”The Evo was homologated at 1240kg, so it’s not

exactly a flyweight, but even to get down to thislevel carbonfibre, Kevlar and lightweight metalswere used extensively. For a road car-based racerwith a heavy four-wheel drive system and one ofthe most criss-crossing climbing frame like rollcages I’ve ever seen, that’s not bad.By adding these components back into the rally car

TITANIUM DELIGHT

BELOW: Engine has beencompletely refreshed andhas a new zero-miles blockprepared to works spec


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LANCIA DELTA GROUP A


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the Evo’s obesity was controlled by a strict diet –vehicular gastric band surgery, if you like. The body andfront wings were steel for homologation purposes, butbeyond that the Evo had thinner body panels, lighter3mm thick glass, a carbonfibre strut brace, titaniumengine mounts and a full exhaust system made of thesame lightweight precious metal.Conceived and campaigned at a time before anti-

lag the Delta ran a full, straight-through titaniumsystem from its Garrett turbo backwards. Today the1995cc turbocharged twin-cam motor exhalesthrough a single silencer – still titanium – mufflingthe engine’s dry cough.

But what was it like to drive? Unfortunately, I’ll notget the chance to find out – this car is for sale for£150,000, and its former keeper and now what you’dprobably call custodian Smith (he looks after it for itscurrent – soon to be ex – owner) is the only otherman allowed to drive it.Still, having forged a relationship with the Evo over

the last two decades, there’s no better person toenlighten me as to just what it was like muscling theLancia crossed up with a forest full of sturdy pinesflashing by the vibrating lightweight side windows. And,at first, Smith’s appraisal is an anti-climax.“The car had a 38mm air restrictor for the rules,

ON-ROAD REMINISCING


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LANCIA DELTA GROUP A

and in standard Abarth spec, running standardmanagement and standard cams, they’d struggle to make 300bhp.”But, with time to compute, to think that what was an

out-dated car by the mid ’90s could still live withMitsubishi Evos means Smith’s admission is actually allthe more impressive, and the lengths Lancia went to inshedding mass all the more apparent.Despite these trick parts littered throughout the car,

pulling open the door to thread my way inside I’m metby a glaring anachronism – for all the high-techcomponentry that makes the Evo special, Abarth keptthe standard road-going door cards. It didn’t need to,but in 2014 it’s a neat if unplanned retro touch.Once I’m over the surprise there, I’m met with the

task of simply getting into the thing. Having finallymanaged to fold my limbs through the latticework rollcage I’m hunkered down, belted tightly by the six-pointharness into the snug carbon-Kevlar co-driver’s seat.It’s bolted directly to the floor plan so my view over thedash is limited. Staring at a bank of fuses I’ve got agood impression of what life was like for a navigator.Smith jumps in the other side and churns the motor

into life before we head out for a few laps forphotography. Engage first with the straight-cut six-speed manual, release the clutch and the transmissionwhine is deafening, while my backside sat virtually onthe floor feels every clonk from the cold, firm dampers. At these speeds the integrale feels mardy. It’s

unhappy when it’s not on it. But there’s so muchcompetition character here.Over the screeching of meshed gears Smith shouts

over to me, “You see the display? Back in 1994 thatwas a Formula 1 spec dashboard. I only found out whenI sent it back to Magneti Marelli to have a problem fixed– they couldn’t believe it when they saw it.”It’s electronic and for its day was massively

sophisticated, giving readouts on temperature andpressure of vital fluids and gasses. And speaking offluids, Smith enlightens me on how much the Lancialiked to quaff.“The factory cars had a 60-litre fuel tank, running

around 1.75 bar of boost while we were in-stage we’ddo about one mile per litre.” As you can imagine, aparticularly long stage, or a couple run back-to-back,and the Delta would be running close to empty.“We’d have to get people with jerry cans to fill us

up on the way back to service as we would usuallybe on fumes – even on the road it’d only do twomiles per litre,” Smith adds. Then there’s the 20litres of water it’d swig on stage to spray theintercooler, keeping the intake charge temperatureconstant to maintain performance.

Everything about this Group A car is fantastic. At thetime, following Group B was a hard act and somesneered at the slower, heavier and less powerful carsof the late ’80s and early ’90s. But knowing what weknow now – the level of detail and preparation thatwent into making World Rally cars not far off as fast asa Group B car through a stage – cars like this Deltaintegrale Evo were truly special. This one with itspurebred lineage even more so. IIIThis car is currently for sale at Walkers Garage. Tel: 01609 777221

ABOVE: Juha Kankkunenwon the 1991 1000 LakesRally in this car when it wasin its original 16v form

A FOR ACHIEVEMENT


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SO WHO ARE CECOMP?

Literally it’s the Centro Esperienze Costruzione Modelli e Prototipi or the Centrefor the Construction of Experimental Models and Prototypes. The business wasstarted in 1978 by Giovanni Forneris who had gained considerable experience inthis field at the Fiat Centro Stile and with Michelotti and Italdesign. He realisedthat there was a requirement for a thoroughly modern go-to company for themajor manufacturers that would convert their concepts and ideas into realitywhen they themselves had neither the time nor resources to do this.Unlike most carrozzeria of the time, instead of creating their own coachwork

they set out to provide manufacturers with a prototype/concept creationprocess that was also, crucially, totally discreet and confidential. However,since 2011, they have expanded into manufacturing to produce the electricBluecar for the French Bollore company.In addition to concept cars for motor shows – they produced the Alfa

Romeo Vola, F100 and crossover Yak, all for Fioravanti. They also became avital part of Fiat’s competition projects as they were able to providebodyshells and more for the first Lancia Delta S4 cars, the Lancia Deltaintegrale Evolution rally cars and the first Deutsche TourenwagenMeisterschaft and International Touring Cars Alfa Romeo 155s. More recently,in the field of road cars, they have tied up with Maserati and Toyota.Cecomp offers independent work areas within its factory in La Loggia on the

outskirts of Turin so that only authorised personnel and client representativescan visit projects in progress at any time.More recently, to service the ever burgeoning industrialisation of the Far

East, a further extension of the company, called Icona, was established toexport Italian design and engineering to China.



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Past MastersThe Ferrari 512 endurance racers First in a compilation of stories featuringspecial cars from Auto Italia’s archivesTrack tests by Roberto GiordanelliHistory by Peter Collins and Keith BluemelPhotography by Auto Italia

060_066_AI228_F512_PW_AI Template 15/12/2014 14:49 Page 60

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V12 312P prototype for 1969. The car was based onthe Can Am 612P chassis.Howls of ironic laughter greeted Porsche’s 917

when it was launched at Geneva in March 1969because here was a sportscar to the ‘GT’ Group 5regulations with an initial 4.5-litre flat 12 and it wasseriously intended for racing, because the CSI hadreduced the minimum quantity of cars required forhomologation in the category to 25 for 1970, soPorsche had done just that and built 25 of them.The Fiat/Ferrari merger/collaboration of 1969

meant more investment cash was available to Enzo,so in November 1969 the world was treated to thefirst view of Ferrari’s answer to Porsche, when their512S sportscar was launched.Based on the 612P Can Am chassis and layout the

512S had an engine derived from that unit but withreduced bore and stroke. The new cars consisted of asemi-monocoque chassis with body panels by Cigalaand Berlinetti of Turin. They were numbered in evensequence from 1002-1050. With only a few months togo before the first 1970 race at Daytona the 512 wasto be found severely lacking in testing once the newseason began. Due to bad weather throughout theEuropean winter, development of the car took placebetween races throughout the year.With trials including extra aerodynamic aids, a new

nose and a spider version, the look of the carsgradually changed through the season. Results were

The Ferrari/Ford wars in the World SportscarChampionships of 1964-7, mainly centred onLe Mans. It saw faster cars being developedat a prodigious rate, until Ford had to put awhopping 7 litre V8 into its new GT Mark 2 to

overcome Ferrari’s fabulous P series prototypes thatculminated in the P4. In those days of a Mulsannestraight without chicanes, 200mph and more wasroutinely achieved by the fastest cars.Cue knee-jerk reaction from the then governing body

of international motorsport, the CSI. With impeccabletiming they announced just before the ’67 Le Mans 24Hours that, in order to reduce speeds, as from January1st, 1968, sports prototypes would be limited to amaximum of 3 litres and, in the small-print, mentionedthat Group 4, later Group 5, GT cars would be allowedup to 5 litres, but a minimum of 50 examples of each ofthese would have to be constructed. In effect, fromAugust ‘67, the entire P series prototype Ferraris andFord GTs would be rendered useless.First out of the traps was Enzo Ferrari who,

reasonably, was incensed that a huge investment incars by Maranello had been written off overnight andas a result he would be withdrawing completely fromsportscar racing for 1968 and the foreseeable future.Many others felt the same until late in ’68 whenFerrari sprang a surprise and announced the 3-litre

SOUNDS OF THE SEVENTIES


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mixed to disappointing despite Mario Andretti taking awin at the Sebring 12 Hours and the cars being veryfast at Brands, Monza and Spa, especially in qualifying.For one of the last championship rounds of the

season, at Zeltweg, Ferrari brought along a much-modified 512 designated the M version, featuringthe spare-wheel transferred to the rear and a lowernose and Ickx ran away with the race. He drewaway from the Gulf Porsche 917s until an alternatorfailure put the car out. The car later won theKyalami 9 Hours in South Africa.For 1971, the factory turned its back on the cars,

to the disappointment of many at the factory, infavour of developing a new, flat-12, 3-litre 312P andleft the 512Ms to privateers. World famous USAentrant Roger Penske built up his own car with KirkWhite featuring fastidious attention to detail and it

proved easily the quickest 512 of them all. The finaldevelopment was carried out by ex-worksengineer/driver Mike Parkes on chassis 1048 forScuderia Filipinetti and, with a full-width rear wingand narrowed cockpit area it was called the 512F.They were all fabulous, charismatic cars, perhaps

without the aesthetic wow factor of the P4, but theywere certainly awe-inspiring.

The Ferrari 512 v Porsche 917 battle was enduranceracing's kingly conflict between the also-tricky-to-drive but ever-so-slightly-better 917. Pedro Rodriguezsaid that if you went off the track in a 917, you'dneed a taxi to take you back. These monsters are from the tail-end of the 'brute

force and ignorance’ era – powerful, heavy and with iffy

ON TRACK: FERRARI 512S


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PAST MASTERS

aerodynamics. Their shapes delivered high speeds(over 225mph) but without downforce. These cars wereflying on the ground. The Talacrest supplied 512Smight have a couple of bits of aluminium on the tail butthese are best used for advertising Shell Oils. The laterflat rear deck 512M attempted to address thelift/stability problems. We must also remember that in their heyday the

circuits were so much faster. Chicanes hadn’t beeninvented, straights were straight and hauntingly fastturns were the norm. Drivers who battled with thesethings had more in common with Kamikaze pilots thanwith today’s drivers. Drive ’em sensibly and you camenowhere. For reasons I shall come to later, these carshad to be on the edge – slightly loose. Attack was thebest form of defence, but it was a balancing actwithout a net. In the wet, it was a ‘see-who-can-lean-furthest-over-the-cliff-competition’.The structure of the 512S is a conventional steel

space frame tubing with riveted aluminium sheetsforming a semi-monocoque. Fibre-glass is used for thebits painted red. Torsional rigidity is good for thesuspension platform but crash protection is poor. Aroll-over would see the slim roof tubing collapse. Afront-ender would slice off your kneecaps on the dashand crunch the tin-work around your legs, while a sideimpact would barbecue you in a 120 litre high-octanefireball (you sit between two 60 litre tanks). ThePorsches and Lolas, etc, were much the same. The listof drivers who ‘paid the price’ trying to tame theuntameable during this era is a long one. I was there – a novice boy-racer, but as a spectator –

to witness the kingly conflict at Brands Hatch for thesoaking wet 1970 BOAC 1000 and also at Le Mans in1971. Rodriguez’s awesome wet drive in the 917 atBrands is best described by Chris Amon’s quip, “Why

doesn’t somebody tell Pedro it’s raining?” Today I get todrive another of the 1971 Le Mans cars.‘Our’ car (chassis 1006) is in ‘time warp’ condition. It

has rear wheels that are 16 inches wide shod withGoodyear tyres, indicating that rear-end traction washigh on the designer’s priority list. The interior isreminiscent of the cockpit of an old fighter aircraft.Although there are two seats, you sit almost in themiddle. This moves your legs to the centre, away fromthe wheel arch and leaves room for a wide sill – forfuel. Right-hand drive is good for racing and thebeautiful gear lever is also on the right. The metal-gated lever has additional clever sliding metal fingersat a lower level to help avoid mis-changes. The patternis 5-speed with a dog-leg first. You also sit far forwardunder the aircraft-like quarter-elliptic screen. With noquick-release wheel, getting in and out for rapid driverchanges is tricky. I once tried the PedroRodriguez/Steve McQueen Porsche 917 for size; it wasmuch tighter. The little Momo wheel needs just 1.75turns between usefully tight steering locks. The viewforwards is frightening. You can see the track surfaceright up to your toes. You can also see the tops of thefront tyres through the arch slots. With no rear screen,the motor’s intake roar is next to your left ear. Andwith no handbrake and no mirrors, it’s all very Italian(the roof mirror was missing).The 5-litre V12 assaults the senses as it detonates

into life. Pick-up is instantaneous and the clutch is ofthe in-or-out variety. The long action throttle pedalallows for much-needed fine control. Four cams, 48-valves, 12 fuel-injection butterflies, 12 Perspextrumpets and a big bunch of white bananas sendunsilenced 1970 shock waves into the present day.Acceleration is of the aircraft carrier steam catapult

variety. As the white needle flicks round the

ABOVE: Roberto Giordanellidrifts the 512S on thehandling circle. Old hardslicks on a damp surface


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Veglia/Ferrari 12k tacho to the ‘busy end’, the hairs onthe back of your neck wake up. With 550bhp at8500rpm and 880kg, the 512S has 625bhp per ton,enough to concentrate the mind – especially in thewet. Straight-line traction at any speed with old slickson a wet track is not exactly reliable. Take it forgranted at your peril. At high speed you can feel nodownforce to help you. It’s just as likely to spin itswheels at 50mph as it is at 150mph.In the wet at Brands Hatch in 1970, even when they

looked – from the outside – like they were corneringsteadily, inside the driver was working hard. Those’70s drivers were heroes.

Built in early 1970 as a red 512S, chassis 1040 wassold to Steve Earle/Chris Cord in California. It racedin Can-Am in the summer of 1970 before being soldto Kirk White in August 1970. White happened to befriends with Roger Penske and the decision wasmade to contest the World Championship of Makeswith Mark Donohue and David Hobbs as drivers.Converted by the factory to M (Modificato)specification the car was then re-engineered in theUSA to become the quickest 512 in the world.In January 1971 this beautifully prepared Ferrari

was favourite to win the Daytona 24 hour race.Unfortunately it tangled with Rodriguez's Porsche917; badly damaged, it struggled to finish the racebut not before setting the fastest lap. In its heydaythe car only came to Europe once, for the 1971 LeMans 24 hours. I was there.Aerodynamically, the 917s had the legs on the

512Ms. On the Mulsanne, the German cars could reach240mph where the Ferraris struggled to 220mph. The‘Sunoco’ 512M was quicker in the corners but not quickenough. During the 1971 Le Mans, the ‘Sunoco’ car,driven by Mark Donohue and David Hobbs, which hadbeen lying third, retired after four hours with engineproblems. The race was eventually won by theMarko/van Lennep Porsche 917K. The Ferrari 512S was rated with 550bhp at 8500rpm.

Traco Engineering modified the Penske 512M motor toproduce 625bhp at 9000rpm, with 10,000rpm seen onoccasions. In period 512Ms weighed 812kg, today, withits lighter (carbon-fibre instead of fibreglass) front andrear panels, and no spare wheel, it’s probably below800kg. It’s my dream car, the one I watched at Le Mansin 1971, with a power to weight ratio of around 750bhpper ton, huge 16in wide slicks and no silencers.Starting the engine is simply a matter of button

pushing; one button for ignition and fuel pumps andanother to start. All the switch gear is close athand, located on the right, close to the gear lever.The short stroke fuel injected V12 firesinstantaneously and deafeningly, the old fashioned12,000rpm tacho flicks round the Ferrari dial andthe motor settles down to a fast noisy idle. Itsounds powerful and responsive but the din fromits four big exhaust pipes is from another era. My right hand pulled the gear lever. I let the plate

clutch bite, held it momentarily as the car rolledforward, then released it fully, my helmet hit the rearbulkhead and we shot off, easy. Expecting the usualFerrari gearlever battle, I was amazed when secondgear engaged with one short stab. Third, fourth andfifth all slotted in instantly. A ‘smart’ gear lever gate isfitted. I had never seen one before and watch how itworks. Underneath the normal slotted gate, slidingmetal fingers are visible which ‘understand’ the gearchanges and block the lever from accidentally goingacross the gate too far. There is a reverse lock-out,naturally. Racing cars should be user friendly; I had mydoubts about the 512, I was wrong again.Even on light throttle the 512M was scintillating.

Brake pedal: rock firm with just the right amount offeel. Steering: quick, the small wheel needed only 1.5turns lock to lock; light, precise, communicative andno low speed tramlining; someone knows how toengineer out bump steer. The test track is blindingly fast, long rapid sweepers

with generous banking, then only the low angled kerbready to launch you into the trees – like Hockenheimbefore Armco. A twisty in-field section gives the eyes a

ON TRACK: FERRARI 512M


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PAST MASTERS

ABOVE: The ‘Sunoco’Ferrari 512M is regarded asbeing the ultimateexample of the breed,although it didn’t enjoy thesuccess it deserved

chanceto go wide-

angle. Then backon to the awfully fast

section and the eyes revert to tunnel vision as theforest becomes a streaky grey blur. An unsilencedFerrari screaming through the trees . . . this is thenearest thing to a time machine. The banshee wailfrom the 5-litre V12 reaches its crescendo as the tachoneedle nears 8500rpm. Between 6500 and 8500without ear plugs my eardrums vibrate and hurt. Evenat 6500rpm the dyno sheet quotes 500bhp. Snick thelever through the metal gate into fifth on the exit ofthe curve at around 150mph, pedal to the metal andthe Ferrari is tearing through the air. On the fastest straight, deafened and with my mind

working in slow motion, I begin to understand themeaning of life, the universe and everything, and it'snot 42. A nanosecond later I am back in the real world,busy braking for the banked turn. Braking is one of thebig differences between driving nimble slick-shod clubracer and 750bhp/ton GT cars. Huge amounts of speedhave to be accurately lost before the corners. From lapone, out of the slow turns, the 512M inspires enoughconfidence for me to power slide it immediately. For me, this was the greatest car I had ever driven.

Can-Am, a name synonymous with large enginecapacity sports racing cars that ran in the hugelypopular Canadian American Challenge road raceseries. The formula for the series was establishedin late 1966 and ran through until 1974, these beingits halcyon years.

In 1970 Ferrari made aone-off foray into the world of

Can-Am, when they entered theirtwo 512S models in the Watkins Glen

round, on the same weekend as theInternational Championship for Makes 6-Hour

race at the circuit. Having finished 2nd and 5th inthe 6-Hour race on the Saturday, they were run in theCan-Am race on the Sunday, Jacky Ickx drove one ofthem, but retired, whilst Mario Andretti took the otherto a creditable 5th overall.The car that retired in the 1970 race at Watkins

Glen was to form the basis of Ferrari’s final flirtationwith the series, and it is this car that we featurehere, the unique 712 Can-Am. It started life as aFerrari 512S Spider, chassis number 1010, the fifthcar in the series and the first to be converted to ‘M’(Modificato) specification, before being retired toform the basis of the 712 Can-Am in 1971. Very littletechnical information has been made available on

THE FINAL EVOLUTION


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the car, other than that it was fitted with an engineof approximately 7-litres in capacity, probably basedon the 6.9-litre used in the latter stages of the 1969campaign, and reputed to produce in the region of700bhp. It used the standard semi-monocoquechassis frame, fitted with a very low wedge profilespider body that echoed the frontal treatment ofthe 512M model, albeit without headlights. Chassis 1010’s only appearance as a works entry was

in the 1971 Can-Am series. Again the venue wasWatkins Glen, and the driver was Mario Andretti, whoqualified it fifth, and finished in fourth place. Ferrarithen lost interest in the project; who knows what mayhave become of it had more development time beenexpended, as it was reported as having marginal brakesfor the power available, and the road-holding behaviourneeded a fearless and very competent driver. The car was then sold to NART, who campaigned it

briefly in the 1972 series with Jean-Pierre Jarier at

the wheel, once again making its debut at WatkinsGlen, where he came from the back of the grid aftermissing practice, to finish 10th overall. A month laterhe finished a fighting 4th at Elkhart Lake, the lastappearance of the season. It resurfaced at itsWatkins Glen haunt one final time in 1974 in thehands of Brian Redman, but this time it retired, andretired from racing for good. Well almost! After residing out of sight in private

collections for a long time, Talacrest obtained it forthe collector Carlos Monteverde who ran it inhistoric racing, notably the Shell Historic FerrariMaserati Challenge series. It has proved aformidable weapon in the skilled hands of DavidFranklin, who has posted numerous victories in theseries, while treating us to the sight and sound ofthis awesome piece of machinery. IIIThis feature is based on a compilation of storiessourced from early issues of Auto Italia

ABOVE: Not the prettiest of1970s racing Ferraris butcertainly the most powerfulwith a reputed 700bhp


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Monza 226_AI Template 18/11/2014 12:10 Page 15

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PREVIEWS AND REPORTS ON INTERNATIONAL EVENTS AND ITALIAN CAR CLUBS

CLUB ITALIA

THE DUTCH ALFA ROMEO CLUB’S ANNUAL CELEBRATION AT ZANDVOORT

Story by Luca GastaldiPhotography by Luca Gastaldi, M. de Vaal and J. Paans

Spettacolo Sportivo Alfa Romeo

068_070_AI228_Club_PW_AI Template 15/12/2014 14:42 Page 68

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CLUB ITALIA

At the Zandvoort event we met Marco Fazio, the manin charge of Centro Documentazione Museo Alfa Romeoat the Arese museum. For some time he has also beenundertaking a new, challenging assignment to conducta census of Alfa Romeo clubs around the world. Thiscontinuous ‘work in progress’ is to maintain a databasethat is being extended periodically. “The passion for Alfa Romeo knows no boundaries,”

confirmed Fazio, “and so far we have recorded over 200associations with 123,000 regular fans enrolled." AlfaRomeo is without doubt one of the most popular Italiancar brands in the world. "It's true,” added Fazio, “andespecially the most experienced enthusiasts. Ferrari isdefinitely the one with the most fans and followers inabsolute terms but the Alfa Romeos are much moreaccessible and therefore more widespread and drivenregularly by enthusiasts of the marque. The Alfistiknow no geographical boundaries and even socialstatus, because both those who own a 1930s 6C or a1980s 33 Quadrifoglio speak the same language."A display of classic Alfa Romeos was staged in the

pit area that included specialists offering spare partsand automobilia. Place of honour was for the cars fromthe Zandvoort Museum and for those of Scuderia delPortello and the Lopresto collection. The Aresecollection displayed the Giulietta Spider Pininfarinaprototype (in honour of the model’s 60th anniversary)and the 155 V6 Ti which raced in the 1993 DTM series.“This unique competition car is working perfectly,” saidFazio, “it is true that we brought it here to Zandvoort torun on the track before the eyes of the fans who

The first car races at Zandvoort circuit dateback to the distant 1930s. Opened in 1939, itwas originally a street circuit. Its debut wasnot only its first international competitionevent but the first for the whole of the

Netherlands. In the first half of the 1940s, the projectfor a permanent circuit began, which would exploit theparticular shape of the territory that featured sanddunes. Construction work began in 1946 and on August7, 1948 the first race was held. In 1952, Zandvoorthosted a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time andthe great drivers included Ascari, Fangio, Moss, Hill,Clark, Stewart, and Prost to Piquet. Zandvoort lost itsGrand Prix status in 1985 and the circuit experienced aperiod of decline until it underwent a revival in 2001with the RTL Masters of Formula 3 series and DTM.Spettacolo Sportivo Alfa Romeo is a big annual

demonstration organised by the Stichting Club AlfaRomeo Bezitters, it’s an unpronounceable name andbetter known simply as SCARB. The event is now in itsfifteenth year and SCARB is one of the biggestinternationally active Alfa clubs with over 3000members. Spettacolo Sportivo attracts thousands offans from all over Europe. It takes place every year atone of the Dutch racetracks of Zandvoort or Assen,depending on which one is available. This year’s editionattracted 1500 Alfa Romeo cars of each gender, typeand period. They were parked in the paddock in orderof model and, for those who wished, there was also thechance to run on the track in untimed, timed and evenin real races for racing cars.

BELOW: A broad selectionof SCARB’s Alfa Romeosfrom all eras took to thetrack at Zandvoort


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remember with enthusiasm the sporting activities inthe nineties in the German series, beating the hostsMercedes-Benz and Audi thanks to drivers likeAlessandro Nannini and Nicola Larini.” The former DTM155 did in fact take to the track for somedemonstration laps together with the other specialguests from Italy.Scuderia del Portello was the star attraction at the

event and we spoke to the club’s president, MarcoCajani. Scuderia del Portello, the historic racing teamcreated by gentleman drivers, was founded in 1982 andhas a special relationship with Zandvoort because itwas here that the club raced for the first time with theteam colours in 1982. "I took part in the EuropeanChampionship with a Giulietta SS and I won mycategory,” recalled Cajani, “but the most exciting thingwas the podium playing the Italian anthem in thebackground. I brought home a small trophy but I wasreally proud. For me it is a fantastic track and when theDutch club invited us to participate in SpettacoloSportivo we accepted without hesitation. We broughtthe Tipo 33 Sport Prototype 2000 that won thehillclimb of Saint Florent with Teodoro Zeccoli in 1967.The collection also includes the last one of the threeGiulietta Sebrings built for American races and the2000 GT that we normally use in historic racing thatrecently won the class at the Old Timer Grand Prix atthe Nürburgring. We also have brought a Giulietta Tiand a 2600 that recently returned to work and hasbeen part of the team for over 25 years."

Spettacolo Sportivo was one of the last major eventsof 2014 for Scuderia del Portello, but Marco Cajani isalready looking into the future. "We are working on thePeking to Paris project in 2016 and during the winterwe will focus on the preparation of the cars taking partin the rally. This season the Scuderia has participatedin many important events and thanks to its drivers hasheld high the honour of the Alfa Romeo brand ininternational competitions for historic cars. When theScuderia was founded in the 1980s, the Alfa brandgave us great support. It would be nice that in thefuture we could re-establish a closer collaboration withAlfa Romeo, perhaps alongside the Museum in Arese."Drivers of the Scuderia at Zandvoort, in addition to

Cajani who drove the Tipo 33 and Giulietta Sebring,were Emanuele and Alessandro Morteo (Giulietta Ti and2600 Coupe), Belgian drivers Walter Antonacci (GiuliaTZ2) and Jean Dirix (Giulia GTA), and Ross Zampatti (GT2000) from Australia.Ross Zampatti has Italian origins, but was born and

lives in Perth, Australia. His European racing careerbegan in 2000 with an Alfa Romeo 147 and a 156 atItalian circuits. His relationship with the Scuderia delPortello began in 2006, when he attended theEuropean Championship for historic cars. His preferredcar is an Alfa Romeo 1900 CSS 1961."Visitors to Zandvoort’s nearby town centre are

always welcome at the small museum where they cantrace the history of the circuit thanks to the manypreserved relics, photographs and period films. III

BELOW: Scuderia delPortello drivers pose withthe 2600 Coupe. RossZampatti is first on the left


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AUTO ITALIA STAFF REPORT ON THEIR WHEELSTEAM CARS

FIAT COUPEFiat Coupes seem to havequalified for classic statusnow and these days I seevery few of them beingused as daily drivers.Judging by the Fiat CoupeClub’s attendance at ourevents the quality of thesurviving cars is quitehigh and they appear to

be well looked after bytheir owners. This, in part,is due to Pininfarina’sbuild quality, which showslittle signs ofdeterioration on ourexample, even though it isnow 16 years old.From a drivers point of

view, the Fiat Coupe islagging behind – literally –

OCCUPATION: Publisher and Editor of Auto ItaliaHOME TOWN: Letchworth, HertsVEHICLES OWNED: Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo,

Alfa Romeo 156 24vYEARS: 1998, 2002MILEAGES: 57,225, 52,464

PHIL & JOSIE WARD more modern turbochargedcars. While the powerdelivery was acceptable inthe 1990s, it is inferior bytoday’s standards. I amsure that there are readerswho can remember theantics of the Fiat UnoTurbo. Compare this to thelatest Fiats and AlfaRomeos that have almostexactly the same capacityturbocharged engine butwith superb performancecharacteristics. Our FiatCoupe does require carefuluse of the throttle withoutbeing caught out off boost.Low mileage Fiat

Coupes are nowbecoming harder to findand the ones that haveexceptionally lowmileage are usually forsale at a premium. Ourcar was both lowmileage and reasonablypriced, it still has just57k on the clock whichis about the stage whenthe original turbo showssigns of wear, and it has.Tell tale white smoke

on start-up is the usualsign of the turbo oil sealsgiving up and having hadthis experience ofprevious Coupes I decided

to take action soonerrather than later. Thissaves embarrassmentbecause ultimately thecar will become shroudedin smoke when tickingover in congested traffic.There are still some highlycompetent Fiat Coupespecialists out there andwe elected to return toJohn Cartlidge who hadpreviously done a sterlingjob in re-fettling the car’steeth rattling loweredsuspension. John alsocarried out a generalservice and pointed outthat the dripping oil filter

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ABOVE: Considering thatthe Fiat Coupe is 16 yearsold the bodywork hasstood up very well

had worked loose havingnot been fitted properlyon a previous oil change,scary stuff. Have readershad a similar experience?The last thing you wanthappen with the 20vengine is for it to run lowon oil. Most owners willknow that the engine willuse oil in betweenservices and regular levelchecks are absolutelyessential. Any sign of anoil leak should be dealtwith straight way.While the car was with

John Cartlidge we askedhim to complete the grilleinstallation for the Polish-made front bumper. Theprevious owner hadobviously not realisedthat the grille had to beinstalled before thebumper was fitted to thecar and had lost interest.We ran the car with itsgaping mouth for quite awhile but now the grillehad been fitted I wish wehad done it earlier, it looksso much better.John investigated an

air-conditioningmalfunction, which I putdown to a coolant leak.We’ve had loss of air-conon our cars before andthe fault can be reallyhard to trace, especially ifit turns out to the acracked pipe or a leakingunion, usually somewherehighly inaccessible. Onthis occasion the problemseemed to be electrical.

John simply removed thetwo air-con relaysmounted on the offsideinner wing and when hereplaced them he foundthat the system kicked in.The air-con has failedagain since so I suspect adefective relay might bethe cause.During last winter the

car became progressivelyhard to start and wouldbe very slow to fire up.Eventually it failedcompletely. I removed theplugs to find that the fuelsystem was flooded. Noamount of cleaning andrefitting cleared theproblem. I soon realisedthat a new set of plugswas going to be theanswer but even so thenew set didn’t help. In theend I called the AA andeven they struggled tostart the car. In the endthe technician disabledthe fuel system byoperating the cut-off tiltswitch located under thedash. He then turned theengine over with theplugs removed to blowout the unburnt fuel.Having refitted the newplugs the engine staredimmediately accompaniedby huge clouds of smokefrom the exhaust.There have been

common issues on all thefour Fiat Coupes that wehave owned. I can livewithout an operatingalarm system and I am

sure that most owners dothe same. On one of thecars we had anaftermarket systeminstalled but the engineerhad so many problems indismantling thecomponents of thedefunct original devicethat I vowed never to godown that route again.Maybe a fellow ownerknows how to deal withthis. The other issue thatreally is an annoyance arethe squealing front brakes.This seems to be aninherent problem withBrembo brakes as I havecome across it before onother marques. It onlyoccurs at low speeds intown traffic on a very lightpedal pressure. Even afterfitting new discs and padsthe noise soon returns.Nothing much else has

been done to the Coupeexcept for a new set ofCooper Avon tyres andsome bonnet struts. Why isit that the bonnet is nowharder to lift than to lower?And no, the struts are notfitted upside down.And finally, a spookyoccurrence. While satoutside relaxing oneevening we heard thesound of breaking glass.Upon investigating thesource we found that oneof the fog lights on theCoupe had shattered.Quite how this could havehappened remains amystery . . .

ALFA ROMEO 156 My much regretteddecision to sell our 156 2.5V6 Sportwagon a coupleof years ago has almostbeen forgotten now thatwe have had the black V6saloon for almost a yearnow. Of all the cars I haveowned none havematched the superbengine and gearboxcombination of this car. It’ssuch a delight to drive.Chris Rees liked it when hedrove it for our recent Alfa156 group feature. His onlyadverse comment wasthat he thought thesuspension was a bit soft.I checked the tyrepressures after the testand found that both frontswere under inflated. Nowthat has been sorted thecar’s behaviour is muchsharper!As previously reported

this 156 was one of abatch of cars that werebuilt in 2002 but notregistered in the UK until2006. Depending on whichstory you favour theywere either impounded inMalaysia when theimporter went bust orwere salvaged from a shipthat caught fire on theway to Australia. The onlyevidence of anythingunusual is that thesurface of the headlightshas lost its glaze. The cardoes look slightly oddwith 06 plates on it but


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LEFT: Bonnet badge wassourced from a Fiat DobloBELOW: Shiny black lateregistered 156 V6


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TEAM CARS

what is really annoying isthat even though it is a2002 built car the roadtax is twice the costbecause it falls under theemissions rules for carsregistered in 2006.This car has the

facelifted dash completewith the info centre,which fades away on startup so you can’t read it.Apparently the unit isaffected by heat from theaccompanying air vents.Even though the 156 had

covered just 42k mileswhen I acquired it, it camewith a reassuring servicehistory, which is often thecase with cars that havebelonged to Alfa RomeoOwners Club members.Gonnella Brothers, longterm Auto Italiaadvertisers, had carried outall the work that included acambelt and water pump

change. Subsequentlythere has been very littleto do to the car other thanfit new front discs. I didhave an airbag light comeon which David ThomasGarages dealt with. Whenthe computer wasinterrogated the historyrecorded that there hadbeen a camshaft phaseissue, which is a bit of amystery.I had the car MoTd at

Jamie Porter’s Workshopwho also did an oil changefor good measure.Nothing untoward wasreported. The 156 hasbeen purring along nicelyever since until the enginemanagement light cameon. I was on my way to ameeting so I had littletime to investigate. Istopped the car, switchedit off and switched it onagain in time-honoured

computer reactivationprocedure. The lightremained out for a fewmiles until it reappearedthis time accompanied byan audible warning. I had not checked the

oil for a while, in theknowledge that the carnever used any. At thefirst opportunity I stoppedfor some oil and dumpedhalf a litre into the engine.The engine light went outbut when I checked the oilafter the journey it was,of course, overfilled by agood margin.I decided to drain off

the excess and wasdisappointed to find thatthe sump drain plug wassufficiently obscured bythe undertray to avoidgetting a socket to it.However I did manage togain access by removingthe rear attachment for

the undertray to loweringit just enough withoutdisturbing any of theother hopelesslyinadequate fittings. Two weeks later and

the light was on again.Another trip to JamiePorter and his diagnosticsrevealed a misfire, eventhough the engine wasrunning OK. When theplugs were removed theelectrode on number fivehad disappeared, where itwent to is anyone’sguess. A new set of plugswere duly fitted and thefault light has notreturned since.

FIAT PUNTO HGTWe sold the Alfa RomeoMiTo in favour ofsomething with a bit morepoke and with a petrolengine. As chance wouldhave it the Editor’s PuntoHGT became available. I’vealways wanted a SprintBlue MK2 Punto and theHGT or Sporting were thetop choices – but not withthe Abarth bodykit. I don’tthink the kit ads much tothe standard car.However, the diamondshaped Abarth optionwheels look great. Justlike th e Cromodora CD30

OCCUPATION: Art Editor Auto ItaliaHOME TOWN: Shefford, BedsVEHICLES OWNED: Fiat 128 MK1, Fiat 124 Special T,

Fiat Punto 16v HGT, Fiat Multipla 1.9 JTD ELX

YEARS: 1970, 1972, 2003, 2004 MILEAGES: 41,502, 41,226, 87,510, 90,512

MICHAEL WARD


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Like the Multipla, the Puntoreceived a bargain set ofAbarth wheels from eBay.Tyres are from Cooper-Avon

they have to be one ofFiat’s most successfulwheel designs. Simple,elegant, easy to cleanwith the ability toenhance the look ofmost Fiats. A set waspurchased from acertain online auctionsite and immediatelydispatched to the WheelRepair Centre up inBamber Bridge. It’s along way fromBedfordshire but whenyou find a consistentlyfriendly and high qualityservice provider youstick with them.The alloys were dulystraightened, stripped

bare and painted instandard alloy silver.Abarth centre caps werethrown away in favour ofthe correct blue Fiat.After all, fitting Abarthwheels does notmagically turn the carinto an Abarth. A new setof tyres came fromCooper-Avon and haveproved to be grippy andhard wearing. The Puntowas always ‘pointy’ at thefront and quality tyresgive you the confidenceto push on. With 130hp the HGT

has always been a bit ofa ‘Q’ car taking the oddGerman car driver by

surprise. It is thirstythough, but that’s to beexpected with spiriteddriving.Apart from basic

servicing the Punto hascovered the last 16,500miles without any drama.The headlights were dulland milky when webought the car so brandnew replacements werefitted. The inheritedstereo issues weresorted (to a point) byfitting a Sonichi digitalunit with blue tooth.That was one of themost appealing aspectswe missed on the MiTo.The HGT has also

benefitted from a newpair of rear wheelbearings, an air-con re-gas and new front brakediscs and pads. The rearswere recently replaced byTorque Automotive inBedford – very friendlyand local. Again serviceitems were replaced dueto normal wear and tear.With only about 350 ofthese superb carsremaining in the UK Iintend to keep this one awhile longer.

FIAT MULTIPLA The Multipla, or ‘Pla’,‘Multipig’, or just the ‘Bus’continues to serve us


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TEAM CARS

BELOW: Primarily a cameracar, the Multipla alsodoubles up as transport forFiat 128 spare parts

well, be it slogging upand down the M25 orfilled with our eventsequipment.Purchased back in

2012 to replace ourGrande Punto Van it hadjust 46k on the clockback then. Nearly threeyears later the Multiplahas just topped 90,500miles. In that time it’snever let us down buthas been in the workshopa couple of times.Somewhat annoyingly

we’ve had to replace theflywheel and clutchtwice. The first changewas undertaken pre-saleby the dealer. We have no

record of which partswere actually changed orif they were correct. Theclutch seems to be aweak point of the 1.9 JTDunit and not a cheap fixeither. We are toying withthe idea of fitting a solidflywheel. Has anyonedone this? With thebenefit of a new clutchwe took the opportunityto fit a TMC tuning box.Another 30hp is not toooutrageous and the mid-range torque hastransformed the drivingexperience.Torque Automotive did

a full health check on thecar and replaced the

front drop-links. Otherwork included a pair offront discs and pads. The original alloys were

becoming increasinglydifficult to balance andthe Avons, that hadcovered nearly 30,000miles, a good mileage,were in need ofreplacing. I sourcedanother set of PuntoAbarth alloys – againfrom that auction site.This set cost just £79.They didn’t need any workat all and went straighton to the Multipla withanother set of Avons.Here’s to another coupleof years! III


Based in Maldon,Essex, theHoyle-Foxcompany wasacquired from

Terry Hoyle by Cliff Foxand Paul McNeilly fouryears ago. The company was

joined by Simon Raw whohas been an Italian carmechanic for 20 years.Simon’s engineeringbackground includedworking for seven years

at the MaranelloConcessionaires ServiceCentre in Egham. Although the Egham

operation was scaleddown under thePenske/Sytner takeoverthe parts facility remainsone of the major suppliersof remanufactured Ferrariparts worldwide,supplying Maranello inItaly and specialists likeHoyle-Fox.While Simon Raw deals

with the engineering sideof the business PaulMcNeilly manages theadminstration andaccounts. They have sixstaff and most of themare highly experienced onEnzo-era Ferraris. Mosthave worked for theoriginal business andbetween them have acombination of skillsgained by experience on abroad range of Ferraris.With backgrounds of

auto italia78

Hoyle-FoxStory by Phil Ward Photography by Michael Ward

working at Rolls Royceand the Ford Rallydepartment, the Hoyle-Fox engine builders have aV12 expert who hasregenerated many Ferraripower units. Hoyle-Foxbelieve that their 275GTB/4 restorers areamong the best in theworld, with a wealth ofexperience on the model. The continuity of

engineering expertise ismaintained by a couple of

A haven for Italian exotica and engineering excellence in deepest Essex

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COMPANY PROFILE

with an intact, rust freebodyshell ripe forrestoration. The partnersfeel confident ingenerating their ownprojects because theyfeel that the progressiverise in values will continuefor some time. Theyreckon that the currentinvestment boom is morestable than the one backin the early 1990s. Thecurrent market appearsto be driven by investorsthat have thewherewithal to tradeusing their own capitalrather than finance. The’90s crash saw the bankstaking back the cars usedas collateral to recovertheir losses. To recoverthe debts the banksauctioned off the carscheaply, thusundermining the marketvalues.Cars in work at Hoyle-

Fox during our visit weremainly Enzo-era Ferrarisbut there was also a blackFiat Dino 2.0 Spider, a

apprentices who arelearning their trade. Hoyle-Fox carry out

many Ferrari Classicheinspections at theworkshop and undertakework on client’s cars tothe strict standards laiddown by the factory inorder to achievecertification. Their clientbase is mainly traditional,established UK clients butthere are new customerscoming from elsewhereincluding Asia.Although the majority of

the cars in the workshopare classics, Hoyle-Foxalso work on more modernFerraris, Maseratis andLamborghinis having thebenefit of state-of-the-artdiagnostics.Hoyle-Fox are making a

move towards restoringcars that they ownthemselves in addition toclients’ cars, the superb330 GTC in the workshopis a case in point. This carwas sourced in the USA ina run down condition but

ABOVE: Outrageous KonigFerrari 512 awaitsattention. Ex-Abba MaseratiMerak SS is on the ramp


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ABOVE: Meticulous enginepreparation department.BELOW: Glorious Ex-Fangio290 MM chassis 0626

Lamborghini Miura, and arare twin-turbo Konig 512.Of special note was theex-Abba Maserati Merakstill on Swedish plates. A work in progress was

a rare, Dino 246 GTS‘Chairs and Flares’ with itsbodywork finished in veryglossy black. The jury isstill out on how many‘Chairs and Flares’ Dinoswere actually made bythe factory, probably lessthan 20, but this exampleis one of just seven RHDGTS versions. Theseglamorous cars hadDaytona-style seats,extended wheel archesand iconic Campagnolowheels. When it’s finishedthis Dino could wellcommand a record value,RM Auctions sold one lastyear for a staggering

$473,000.Another rare Ferrari on

site was a 365 California,one of just 14 examplescreated. Its styling issomething of an acquiredtaste, much like the 500Superfast it’s based on.This valuable car is said tohave a top speed of240km/h, making it thefastest convertible in theworld at the time.Pride of place in the

workshop goes to Ferrari290 MM chassis 0626.This stunning car wasdriven by Fangio to fourthplace in the 1956 MilleMiglia. It was a very wetrace and the car’s currentowner has Fangio’s actualtimecard that is blotchedand run with therainwater. The 290MM’sextensive race history is a

who’s who of famousdrivers including Phil Hill,Ken Wharton, OlivierGendebien, De Portago,Von Trips, Peter Collinsand Jo Bonnier. Chassis0626 was a regular in topten places over its careerbut its sole win was in theBuenos Aires 1000kmcrewed by Musso,Castelotti and Gregory. Avery fine motor car and atestimony to the care andattention lavished on it byHoyle-Fox. III



CLUBSAlfa Romeo Owners’ Clubwww.aroc-uk.comAlfaowner.com ClubWeb based Alfa Romeo clubwww.alfaowner.comAlfa Romeo Association of Californiawww.alfaromeoassociation.orgAlfa Romeo Club Quadrifoglio Belgiumwww.clubquadrifoglio.beAlfa Romeo Owners’ Club of Canadawww.alfabb.comAlfa Romeo Owners’ Club AustraliaVictoria Division. The most active andpassionate owners in Australia. 6 hard copymagazines, 6 E magazines. Great website andforum. Monthly meetings, great social andcompetitor events. Join us today.www.alfaclubvic.org.auAbarthistiOn-line club for owners, fans and enthusiastsof the Abarth brand www.abarthisti.co.ukDe Tomaso UK Drivers’ Clubwww.detomasodc.co.ukFerrari Owners’ ClubGary Dearn, Silverstone Innovation Centre,Silverstone Circuit, NN12 8TN gary.dearn@ferrariownersclub.co.ukwww.ferrariownersclub.co.ukFiat Motor ClubThe original UK club for owners of all Fiatmodels. [email protected] Club Africawww.fiatclub.co.zaFiat Club of New South Waleswww.fiatclub.com.auFiat Club of Victoriawww.fiatclub.org.auFiat 500 Club www.fiat500club.org.ukFiat 500 Enthusiasts Club GBwww.fiat500enthusiasts.co.ukSporting Fiats Clubwww.sportingfiatsclub.comFiat Barchetta UK Owners’ Clubwww.fiatbarchetta.comFiat Forum www.fiatforum.com

Fiat Bravo and Brava Owners’ Associationwww.fiatboo.co.uk

Fiat Multipla Owners’ Clubwww.multiplaowners.co.ukFiat Cinquecento & Seicentowww.clubcento.co.ukFiat X1/9 Owners’ Club www.x1-9ownersclub.org.ukFiat 127 Forum www.fiat127.comFiat 131 Mirafiori Forumwww.131mirafiori.comThe Fiat Coupe Club UK www.fccuk.orgFiat Punto Forum www.puntosports.co.ukThe Other Dino (Fiat)[email protected] ScotlandScotland’s dedicated Fiat communitywww.fiat-scotland.comFiat & Lancia Club of Western Australiawww.fiatlancia.org.auLamborghini Club UKContact: Lynne Bull, Membership Secretary,Barnside, Wrotham Road, Meopham, Kent,DA13 0AU [email protected]

Lancia Motor ClubContact: Diana Williamson, 6 Halifax Road,Ainsdale, Southport PR8 3JUwww.lanciamotorclub.co.ukLancia Montecarlo Consortiumwww.montecarlo.org.ukInternational Association of Lancia Clubswww.viva-lancia.comClub LanciaSport www.lanciasport.comStratos Enthusiasts Clubwww.stratosec.comMaserati ClubContact: Dave Smith, 2 Sunny Bank, WidmerEnd, Bucks HP15 6PA Tel/Fax: 01494 [email protected] Northern Ireland Italian Motor Clubwww.niimc.netItalian AutoMoto Clubwww.italianAutoMotoClub.co.ukYorkshire Italiawww.facebook.com/YorkshireItaliaScuderia Italian Car Club South Australiawww.scuderiaitaliancarclub.asn.au

June 12-14Cholmondeley Pageant of Powerwww.cpop.co.ukJune 21Classics at SharnbrookSharnbrook HotelBedfordshireJune 25-28Goodwood Festival of SpeedGoodwood Housewww.goodwood.comJune 28Summertime ClassicsStanford Hallwww.auto-italia.netJuly 5British Grand PrixSilverstonewww.silverstone.co.ukJuly 19Supercar SundayBrooklands Museumwww.auto-italia.netOctober 11Motorsport DayBrooklands Museumwww.auto-italia.net

2015 EVENTSIII February 4-840th Retromobile, Porte deVersailles, Pariswww.retromobile.comIII February 13-15 AutomotoretroLingotto Fiere Turinwww.automotoretro.itIII April 16-19 Terra di CanossaInternational Classic Car ChallengeEmilia, Liguria, Tuscanywww.gpcanossa.itIII May 22-24Villa d’Este ConcoursLake Comoconcorsodeleganzavilladeste.comMay 2Brooklands Italian Car DayBrooklands Museumwww.auto-italia.netIII June 2- 7 15th Modena Cento OreRome to Modena [email protected]

DIARY DATES

EVENTS 2015

May 2

Italian Car DayBrooklands Museum

June 28Summertime Classics

Stanford HallJuly 19

Supercar SundayBrooklands Museum

October 11Motorsport Day

Brooklands Museum

www.auto-italia.net

082_AI227_Events Diary_AI Template 15/12/2014 16:57 Page 80


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Auto Italia Back Issues and BindersAuto Italia Back Issues and Binders

PRICE LISTBack issuesUK £4.75*, £6.00 EU + USA, £7.50 RoW* Special UK offer any 3 for £10Tell us which subject you are interested in and wewill search our database to locate suitable issuesBinders£9.95 UK, £12.00 EU + USA, £15.00 RoWCalendar£6.95 UK, £7.95 EU + USA, £8.95 RoWMaserati Centenario£11.05 UK, £12.45 EU + USA, £13.45 RoWPrices include postage and packingPayment by cards or PayPalFor multiple orders we will calculate postage atcost. Please email your requirements to:[email protected]

2015 CALENDARPrinted using high quality materials, the A3 sized

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Superflex_AI Template 11/12/2014 17:09 Page 15

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SELLING YOUR ITALIAN CAR? FREE SERVICE TO READERS.EMAIL [email protected]

AUTO VENDOALFA ROMEO

2002 Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Lusso.102,000 miles, grey. This is a lovelyexample of a timeless design 147 TS. Ithas been sparingly used as a 2nd Alfa inrecent times, yet a great deal has beenspent on the car. MoT until August 6th2015. Front suspension overhaul withnew wishbones and drop links, newexhaust box, cambelt replacement andmany other items replaced. Service at100,500 miles. A car with very minorbodywork blemishes, £1395. Email:[email protected]. A228/042

1992 Alfa 75 LE Twin Spark. Red,no.2497/2500. In my ownership 7 yrs,132K. Full Recaro interior. Looked afterby Tony Favarin ‘Road & RaceDevelopments’ Witney. Mechanicallygood with recent clutch, doughnuts,brakes and new quality battery. Dailydriver and reliable, strong and smoothengine, faultless gearbox. Good historyfile. Like many of its colour and period, ithas paintwork issues. New MoT and taxtill May, £1950 ono. Tel: Tony, 07704883367. A228/041

Alfa Romeo 145 1.6 T Spark. 1999,76,000 miles, for spares/repair. MoTfailure due to rust, I was quoted £700 forrepair, new discs and pads fitted allround in September, new clutch April2013. I haven’t the space to break it forspares myself so whole car has to go.Drives fine, dent on N/S/R panel, £250.Tel: Paul, 07909 631542. Email:[email protected]. A228/040

1975 Alfa Giulia 1600. GT Red. Fulldocumentation since new with a full setof photos showing its restoration andwinning certificates from many AlfaRomeo shows including best at show ata National Alfa Day. The car has beenretained as near as possible in itsoriginal specification and has beenmaintained by a leading Alfa servicegarage in Cornwall. It is the car that isfeatured on the cover and inside the‘Giulia GT Essential Guidebook’. Manymore photos available, valid MoT andtaxed, £21,500. Tel: Brian, 01736333618. A228/039

1991 Alfa 33 1.5 IE. 27,500 miles,Champagne. A much loved very lowmileage 33 in mint condition both insideand out. Factory fitted sunroof. Has fullservice history and maintained byRusper Alfa in recent years, taxed andMoT’d. Have never seen a betterexample of this model, photos available,offers. Tel: Paul, 07917 830842. Email:[email protected] (Reigate,Surrey). A228/038

Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV Strada 2.0.1980, Ruby metallic. This car has beenowned by me for 25 years. Muchmechanical work has been carried outby me over this time. MoT untilSeptember 2015. Guide price of around£3250 for what has now become a rareAlfa model. For further details contactme, Don Lloyd: 01159 278381(Nottingham) between 6 pm and 8pm ifphoning during the week. A228/035

Alfa Romeo 147 1.6 Lusso. 3 door, red.Low mileage 52,300, 2004, FSH (Alfanet),new cambelt, 2 new tyres, leather seats.MoT May 2015. Genuine reason for sale -purchase of newer Alfa GT. A very smart,tidy car with immaculate interior, a/c,cruise control, £1650 ono. Furtherdetails from: 07976 850618. A228/022

Alfa Romeo 156 Selespeed. 2lt TwinSpark, 2000, 4 door saloon, 36,000 miles,one owner (myself), garged all its life,electric windows front and rear, auto airconditioning, leather seats, alloy wheels,6 CD interchanger, Selespeed, good bootspace, colour red, power steering,stunning condition for age. Untouchedoriginal paintwork, £1250. Tel: 07762210306. Email:[email protected] (Lincs).A228/016

Alfa Romeo GT 1600 Junior. 1976, red.MOT, tax, 98,000 miles. Work in myownership includes bare metal respray(needed outer sills, small amount ofwelding underneath), front Konis, frontand rear springs, front spring pans,radiator, reconditioned front brakecalipers, braided brake hoses, clutch,carburettor rubber mounts, BlaupunktTurin FM radio, recoil seatbelts, newcarpets, Alfaholics stainless front grille,4 recent Michelins. Alfa 156 leatherseats (very comfortable and easilychanged bolt in), £11,000 ono. Tel: 01844279170. A228/026

Alfa Romeo GTV 6 2.5 GR.A. One often built, chassis no.ZAR116C0000010195. Second car builtby Autodelta and subsequentlypurchased by Mirabella Racing approxthree years later. Original docs, originalperiod ‘technical passport’, perioddocumentation, 230 CV engine, openexhaust (plus silencer for road use),torsion bars 35mm, Speedline wheels (+8 spares), Lockheed brakes (4 front - 4rear), Autodelta gearbox and differential.Special Koni shocks for this type of car,rose jointed suspension, hydraulichandbrake, original Bosch GR.A air flowmeter, original Autodelta bumpers,period roll cage, original seats alsoavailable. Visit Berni Motori Race Shop atwww.bernimotori.com. A228/009

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AUTO VENDO

2001 Alfa Romeo 156 Lusso 2.0 16VTwin Spark. 116,000 miles, silver, 5speed manual, full black leather interior,electric windows front and back, a/c, 2keys, remote central locking,alarm/immobiliser. Full service historywith bills, new MOT Sep 2015, 4 previousowners, very good condition throughout!£1100 ovno. Email:[email protected]. A228/030

Alpha 156 GTA Sportswagon. October2003 registered. 110K miles, silver, newtiming belt/clutch/shocks,springs/brake pads, discs, tyres, FSH.Sports exhaust, leather interior, 10 CDmultiplayer, ring for full spec. Tel: 07940095198. A228/044

1998 Alfa Rome 156 2.0 TS Lusso 4drsaloon. 60,857 miles, red. Low mileageof 60,857. Lusso spec includes air conwhich was serviced about two yearsago. New tyres all round, Avon ZT5205/60. MoT on May 2015. Worth a lookfor a cheap car at £850. Tel: 01527524634. A228/043

2004 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon 2.0JTS Veloce. 82,000 miles, red. 54 plate,black leather interior, CD auto-changer,telephone, boot liner and luggage nets.Sportpack, MoT Oct 2014, 6 mths RFL. 2keys, 82K miles, belt and tensionersreplaced at 65K. Service history by Alfaspecialists, lovely example, £1495. Forfurther information please telephonePhill: 07963 367950 (Gloucestershire).A228/037

Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6. 00/W-reg, rareearly 5 speed manual, Ontario Blue withtan interior, less than 69,000 miles.Cambelt, pulleys, water pump, tensionerand engine top mount replaced lessthan 1000 miles ago. Full MoT, £1295.Tel: 07872 911678. Email:[email protected]. A228/036

Alfa Romeo 156 V6. 1999(V). Red withblack leather, MoT to 20th Dec, 138,000miles, £350. Tel: Chris, 07872 911678.Email: [email protected]/034

Alfa Romeo 916 GTV. 2001, 68,000miles. Nuvola Green/Blue (414). Thisbeautiful compact sports car designedby Pininfarina, one of the great Italianstyling studios, is an absolute delight tolook at from any angle. The 3ltr V6engine is also one of the classic Alfaengines and is rated at 218bhp at6300rpm with a top speed of 238km/hr.So not only does this car have greatlooks but it also has sparklingperformance. It is a rare and excellentexample that has been lovingly lookedafter from day one. This car has wonawards every year of its life. In past 12months it has won Best Everyday Carand been the 916 Class Concours runnerup. It has a complete service history.People often comment on how beautifulit looks. Full year's MoT. This car willbring a smile to your face every time you drive it. Unfortunately I have tolet it go. The price is £5500. Tel: Dave Taylor: 07905 011884. Email:[email protected]. A228/033

Alfa Romeo 159 SW 1.9 JTDM Lusso.2009, 44,000 miles. A beautiful exampleof this car in dark bronze metallic, Barleyleather throughout and full Bose soundsystem. Very reluctant sale, in excellentcondition, only 44,000 miles, registeredin 2009. Looked after by Alfa Romeo clubmember. Two new front tyres Pirelli andnew battery Bosch, five year guarantee.Just serviced and MOT and tax. Verygood mpg, get 48mpg on run and 40mpgaround town. New mats fittedeverything electric and full workingorder. Manual six gears, hi-spec alloys,17-inch Alfa spoke. CD player and FMradio great sounds. Looks and drivesgreat. A rare car indeed. Time for a truedriver's car? Priced at £9500 to sell. Tel:Ray, 07886 002482 (Essex) anytime.A228/025

Alfa Romeo 159 1.9 JTDM LimitedEdition. 2009, Carbonio Black, full blackleather interior with dark alloy wheels. Inexcellent condition, FARSH plus interimoil and filter changes, only 37,000 miles,2nd owner (1st owner Alfa Romeo),owned for last thee years, AROCmember. Cambelt and rollers and 84Kservice at 27,207 miles Feb 2013. Lastserviced at 33,259 miles March 2014.MOT until end of March 2015, £9000 ono.Tel: John, 07885 239291. A228/032

Alfa Romeo GTV JTS Lusso. Excellentmetallic blue body, leather trim, air con,alarm, CD, full service history, recentcambelt, new tyres, battery, 83,000miles, 2005, MOT till 05/2015, this car isa genuine bargain, £1750. Tel: 07860328609 (Staffs). A228/013

Alfa Romeo 147 JTDM Lusso. ‘55’ reg,blue with pale grey leather, 73K milesonly, AROC owner last 8 years, fullservice history with all MOTs, £2250. Tel:Colin, 07811 464780 (Rugby). A228/031

Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 V6. 2000, 84,000miles. Rosso Red, W-reg. Documents,service history, complete with 3 keys.Previously owned and modified by Alfaworkshop manager. I’ve owned for 3years. V/fast, lovely sound, fab roadholding, great fun to drive. 5 months’tax, 11 months’ MOT. Excellent exampleof much sought after and getting rarerenthusiast's car. It will appreciate, hence£4500 ovno. Tel: 07515 396211 (Bucks).A228/027


Ferrari 360 Spider. Manual, 2004,Rosso/Crema. Daytona seats. Redcarpet, factory shields. Full andcomprehensive service history. Only11,580 dry miles. Absolutelyimmaculate, virtually as new condition,£59,500, this car will not disappoint! Tel:01248 851032 or 07957 882121. [email protected]. A228/017

auto italia90

FERRARI

FIAT

2005 Alfa Romeo 916 Spider 3.2 V6.51,000 miles, red. Excellent condition,always garaged and covered. Newcambelt, water pump, idlers, radiator,battery, complete clutch, Q2 diff, rearbushes etc. New ECU early this year,serviced by Peak Alfa, £8500. Want moreinfo? Tel: Paul, 07970 903876. A228/063

Alfa Romeo Spider 2.2 JTS. Firstregistered 29 Dec 2009, 40,000 miles,Rosso Red, recent service includingbrake pads and new cam belt. FSH,dealer maintained, 12 months’ MoT, 2years’ mechanical parts and labourwarranty. Black leather interior,professionally applied ceramic bodywork protection. Gun metal grey powdercoated 5 hole alloy wheels. Beautifulexample of this iconic car, £11,950. Tel:07941 192818. A228/061

Fiat 500 Abarth 2011. In PasodobleRed with black leather interior, mileage26,000, fuel type petrol, transmissionmanual. This Abarth 500 has a fullservice history and has been loved andcarefully looked after and driven sincenew by 2 lady owners. Both the interiorand the exterior are in excellentcondition. It has 17” alloys with PZeroNeros and an MoT until May 2015, apersonalised number plate is included inthe price, this is a reluctant but genuine private sale, £8995. Email:[email protected]. A228/060

2011 MiTo Special Edition Sprint 1.4 16v in Tornado Blue. The carwas bought new and has 14K on theclock. It has the ‘Sprint’ badges on thetailgate and both rear quarter panels.Not due its first service till 18K but hashad two oil changes. It has Blue&Me, air con and cruise control.Alloy wheels with Michelin tyres. The carhad Supaguard paint and interiorprotection applied inside and out whennew and also has matching bluetrimmed MiTo mats in the footwells. The car is like new, it hasnever been smoked in and no pets.Valeted on a regular basis. Due tochange in circumstances I now require adiesel for longer journeys. Absolutelyimmaculate throughout, £7900, contactEuan for more details. Tel: 01382775494 evenings. Email:[email protected]. A228/058

2009 Alfa Romeo Brera S V6 3.2Prodrive. 57,000 miles, Alfa Red.Reduced price. Tax till Dec ‘14, MoT Jul‘15, FSH from Proalfa Watford. Limitededition no 376/500. Vehicle hastransferable lifetime paint and leatherwarranty from GardX. a/c, p/s, p/w, elecmirrors, 19-in wheels, 3.2 V6 260bhp.Reluctant sale due to familycircumstances, £10,995 ono. Tel: 07900911528. Email:[email protected]/057

Alfa Romeo Spider 2.2 JTS. Firstregistered 29 Dec 2009, 40,000 miles,Rosso Red, recent service includingbrake pads and new cam belt. FSH,dealer maintained, 12 months’ MOT, 2years’ mechanical parts and labourwarranty. Black leather interior,professionally applied ceramic bodywork protection. Gun metal grey powdercoated 5 hole alloy wheels. Beautifulexample of this iconic car, £11,950. Tel:07941 192818. A228/023

Alfa Romeo Brera 2.4 JTDM. 2009,94,000 miles. Beautifully presented andlooked after car, red Pesso Frauupholstery, owner from new, big spec,please contact to discuss, pedalpowered, re-mapped and chipped, newcambelt and water pump all byMangoletsi, probably only Brera withfitted detachable tow bar(for kit cartrailer). Reluctant sale as I drive aDiscovery too, will let someone elsehave the joy, £8550. Tel: 07799 264041.A228/024

1964 Fiat Abarth 595. Based on ‘D’chassis, rare and in excellent condition.10” wheels, anti-roll bars front and rear,tuned 500D-based engine, chassisoriginal with no.1520. Parts packageincludes original Abarth oil sump andvalve cover/inlet manifold withcarburettor to complete ‘Essesse’ spec.Rare opportunity to purchase an originalexample of these fast appreciating littleAbarths. Visit Berni Motori Race Shop atwww.bernimotori.com. A228/010

Alfa Spider 916 (Phase 3) 2.0 JTSLusso. Beautiful black with tan leather,79K, full Alfa history. Last service @77,600, cambelt Oct 2013 @ 70K, MoT30/06/15. Electric hood, excellent wellcared for example, £4300 ono. Tel ortext: 07974 187677 for photos/viewing(Kent). A228/054


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AUTO VENDO

Fiat Coupé 2.0 Turbo 20v 6sp. March2000. Black leather, air con, one of thelast sold in the UK. Extensive history,beautiful! £6750. Tel: Graeme, 07931417806 (London). A228/045

Alfa wheels. 4 no 16” teledial graphitegrey with tyres, suit 147, 156, 916 GTVetc, make me an offer. Tel: Roy, 07954099482 (collect from Sawbridgeworth,Herts). A228/015Brembo brake calipers. RefurbishedBrembo 305mm brake calipers, seal dustcaps and painted, £200. Email:[email protected]. A228/019Stainless steel exhaust GTV 916.Bespoke GTV 916 3.0, used quad,excellent condition, collection only,£150. Email: [email protected]/020Alfa 75 Saloon parts. Doors, bonnets,boot lids, bumpers, roof panel, rear NSquarter panel. Tel: 07802 934278. Email:[email protected]/021105 Series parts. Large quantity of 105Series parts for sale, collected over 40years. GT, Super, Berlina: engines,gearboxes, carbs, lights, plus manyother rare bits and pieces. Prefer to sellas one lot. Tel: Ian, 07796 955148. Email:[email protected]. A228/04675 exhaust. Brand new offside frontpipe for Alfa 75 3ltr, purchased in errorfrom EB spares. Inclusive cost was £135, will accept £80. Tel: Steve,07788 905152. A228/047Alfa Romeo parts. Mainly Giulia 105Series and Alfasud, for sale atwww.autotreasures.co.uk. Also books,prints, posters and other memorabilia.A228/048

‘M7 MAS’ registration. MY MASeratiregistration (M7 MAS) for sale. If youwould like to have the ultimateregistration for your Maserati, pleasecall 01525 221635 for furtherinformation. A228/004

MASERATI

PARTS

Fiat 124 Spider 2000 injection. 1981.Immaculate bodywork and excellentmechanics. Recent KHM Sonnelandhood, stainless exhaust, beautiful,practical and reliable classic. Fortunespent, wife forces reluctant sale!Sacrifice at £7750. Tel: 01288 381058(Cornwall). A228/065

Maserati Quattroporte IV 2.8 TwinTurbo. 1996. True four seater supercar,Deep Blue (Blu Ministeriale), only 48Kmiles, 13 months’ MoT + 6 months’ tax,this car has an interesting indepthhistory with a huge file of receipts etc,from Ferrari/Maserati, plus suede walletwith handbooks etc. Elegant anddistinctive this now quite rare Maseratiis fast and powerful but is also theheight of luxury having full leather,suede + walnut interior, complete withthe classic Maserati clock. Refurbedunmarked Mille Miglia original alloys, newstainless steel exhaust, timing beltrecently changed along with a servicetoo. Extensively overhauled withnumerous new original Maserati parts asI believe a Maserati should drive exactlyhow it’s meant to. 2x keys, full electrics(everything works, including electronicsuspension settings). Garaged, verystrong mechanically, nicely presentedinside and out, nice shiny well kept paintalthough there are a couple of agerelated marks and a couple ofimperfections as one would expect butthese do not detract at all from theoverall look of this car. HPI clear. This isa great practical classic supercar thathas been well looked after and whichshould only go up in value. Enthusiastowned, £6450. Please ring for furtherdetails: 07702 001409. A228/064

LANCIA

Lancia Fulvia Zagato. 1970. Series 1,1.3S. Superb condition in all respects,please call for details, £24,000. Tel:01932 953435 or 07710 393864(Surrey). A228/062

Lancia 037 Stradale replica project.Based on Beta Monte Carlo (1978/T,42,000 miles). The major parts of the kithave been bonded on. Remaining work iscosmetic finishing, fixing and wiringheadlights and possible mods such asrear axle spacers, lowering and biggerwheels. Located in the Scottish Borders.More pics at tiny.cc/037pics, £8999 ono. Tel: 07790 070563. Email:[email protected]. A228/059

Alfa rear brake pad set Marelli, fits145, 146, 155. Also Fiat Bravo andBravas, and Lancia Dedras. New andunused, £10 plus carriage. Tel: Richard,07818 715502 (Bexhill, Sussex).A228/056

Original Abarth exhausts (NOS). Allmakes A to Z, sixties, seventies, alsoAnsa Uno Turbo, see www.abarth-exhausts.com or [email protected]. A228/018

January 1990 Maserati BiturboSpyder 2.8. Swan White with blueleather interior. All in excellent order.This is an automatic version with up todate air conditioning and Pioneer stereo.Runs very well with full service history.Owner needs garage space, £8500. Tel:Nigel, 01534 743064. Email:[email protected]. A228/002

1987 Maserati Biturbo Spyder 2.5.Manual. Red/beige leather, MOT toDecember ‘14, 2 owners, only 28,700miles, service history, original handbookand invoice, workshop manual, £8950.Tel: Peter Plant, 01283 702245.A228/003

Alfa GTV four five hole alloy wheels,fitted good treaded tyres, 205/50/16,oiro £200; Alfa 916 GTV speedo/revcounter module, black, vgc, oiro £50. Tel:01564 772714 (Solihull). A228/014

2004 Maserati 4200 Cambiocorsa.Immaculate, unmarked and maintainedregardless of cost by fastidious owner.Metallic green with beige leatherinterior, 25,000 miles. First registered28.09.04. Kept garaged. FSH, lastserviced August 2014. New clutch at18,000 miles. Leather interior completelyre-Connollised 2013. Sports exhaustsystem, Tracker, alarm and immobiliserfitted. MOT until 20.08.15. New gelbattery fitted summer 2013. Skyhooksuspension, traction control, 6 CDmultichanger, sat nav and integral carphone, electric windows, driver andpassenger airbags, height adjustabledriver and passenger seats, steeringwheel height and rake adjustment,Alloygator wheel rim protectors fitted, 1previous owner. Private plate notincluded, £17,495. Tel: 07810 883264.Email: [email protected]/001

Parts for Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo.Steering rack, excellent condition, £80;rear screen, £80; passenger door, ScotsGreen, £60. Tel: 07935 830055. Email:[email protected](Carmarthenshire). A228/055

MISCELLANEOUS


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Auto Italia issues 2, 3, 5, 20, 21 and 49,two hardback Abarth books and lots ofAlfa sales brochures etc for sale. Pleasering Alan: 01635 202521 for more details(Berks). A228/011Cherished registration number forsale ‘S8 FRX’. On retention certificateand available immediately, £400.Tel/text: David, 07710 4543576.A228/049AROC magazines. Old small formatmagazines from mid ‘69 up to change tolarge format. Most in binders. Free tocollector. Tel: Tony, 01582 831837.A228/050

Lancia collection for sale. Owner’sclub magazines, motoring magazines,photos, brochures, books and more!Please contact me if you are looking foranything on Lancia cars. Tel: 01273583057. Email: [email protected](East Sussex). A228/028

Parts wanted for Maserati QP IV:driver side front door kick plate (mine isscratched and scuffed), acceleratorpedal rubber, silver Maserati plasticsticker which is on the central consoleabove the air con/ashtray in rear(daughter broke it when swinging herleg over). Tel: Christopher Johnson,07788 203143 or 01787 242136. Email:[email protected]. A228/005Wanted by classic car enthusiast.Long term classic car enthusiast islooking for a sensibly priced Khamsin,Sebring or 3500GT in very goodcondition. Looking forward to youmaking contact. Tel: +49 1728 104109.Email: [email protected]. A228/006Wanted vintage Alfa Romeo 6C 1750or 1500 parts. Super enthusiasticyounger person trying to assemble avintage Alfa requires everything fromwheels to hooter! Any offers orinformation gratefully received, thankyou. Tel: James Miers: 07779 423847.A228/012

Wanted for a 1997 Quattroporte.Headlights, front bumper, front doorstays. Tel: Steve Rogers, 01707 261232or 07563 552500 mob. Email:[email protected]/007For a Lancia Fulvia. 7x13 wheelsrequired to fit 1972 Fulvia, all typesconsidered. Tel: 07507 853980. Email:[email protected]. A228/029Wanted Alfa GT 1.9 diesel. Under 50Kmiles with full service history, any colourexcept white. Tel: 01509 889058 or07962 810392. A228/051Wanted by AROC member. 2000 Spider‘71-‘78. Tel: 01932 953435 or 07710393864 (Weybridge, Surrey). A228/052Looking for a Brera Spider 2.4 diesel inwhite, price range £8000 - £9000. Tel:Paul: 01529 469254 or 461122. A228/053

The publishers accept no responsibility for the quality of goods sold through these pages although the greatest care will be takento ensure that advertisements accepted are bona fide. Advertisers should take note of the requirements of the TRADEDESCRIPTIONS ACT 1968 when preparing their advertisements for publication.

Sell your Italian car,bike or spares here*FREE OF CHARGE!

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* PRIVATE ADS ONLY. FOR TRADE RATES CALL 01732 445325

Colour photographs are free for PRIVATE advertisers! You can include up to 30words free, too; thereafter it’s 30p per word. Advertisements can be submitted by

email, or posted using this form. Send your advert together with your remittance ifapplicable to: Auto Italia Private Classifieds, Morningside House, 1 High Avenue,Letchworth SG6 3RL, United Kingdom, (email: [email protected]) to arrive no laterthan 16th January for inclusion in the March issue. April issue deadline: 13th February. Alladverts received after the deadline will be inserted in the following issue.

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WANTED

Wanted: correct seats and runners formy 1969 Alfa Spider 1750 boat tail. Anyseats considered, however any lookinglike this photo would be perfect. I willarrange collection from anywhere in theUK. Tel: Chris Clark, 07797 736076(Jersey, Channel Islands). A228/066

1923 Itala Tipo 50B Tourer. 2.8L 4cylinder original 5 seater James Floodtourer body. Restored by David Holdenof Melbourne, Australia mid 1970s. Itcruises 40 to 45mph, £38,000. Tel: +644568 7090. Email:[email protected] (NewZealand). A228/008

ADVERTISEMENT INDEXClassicarco 93Cheshire Classic Cars 13DTR Sportscars 71David Thomas Garages 51Days of Milton Keynes 21EBC Brakes UK 99Foskers 31Gonnella Brothers 95Hoyle Fox Classics 81Longstone Tyres 85Maserati 09Maxipart Racing 51McGrath Maserati 15Monzasport 67NJS 83Oakley Design 100Omicron 93R M Auctions 11

R Proietti 95Rusper 51Ross Pistons 93Southwood Car Company 43Spellbound Cars 02Superflex 87Superformance 04Swissvax 21Talacrest 22/23Torque Automotive 93Walkers Garage 59Wheel Repair Centre 95

CLASSIFIEDS 88-92 FCSSHobby Shop Paxton Garage Yates & Bloomfield


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The Official Ferrari Magazine 26September 2014Features mainly USA cars andpersonalities. Luigi Chinetti. Classic‘AM’ Ferraris. 60 years of USAracing. £25

Alfa Romeo 4CExclusive book coveringthe 4C story. Designsketches showing styleevolution and mock uprace version. Build plans.Technical info. Not onpublic sale. Hard back. 64 pages. £35 (UK)

BOOKS

Private book collectionSingle copies for sale onbehalf of a private collector.All publications are inperfect condition and atbargain prices. Payment bycards or PayPal. UK postageand packing included.Overseas apply. For detailsof how to order email:[email protected]

The Book of the Ferrari 288 GTOby Joe SackeyBasically a catalogue describingthe 288 GTO. Handbook reprinted.Chassis number reference section.£25 (rrp £50)

Fiat Uno Service/Repair ManualBy Porter Manuals. Fiat approved.Lots of hands-on pictures. Coverscars and vans from 1983 to 1996.Excellent condition. £8

Auto Italia collectors’ issues1 x issue No. 1. 4 x issue No. 2. 1 xissue No 22 featuring integralespecial editions. 1 x issue No. 57featuring 916 GTV V6. 1 x issue N0.12 including 1997 calendar. £9 each

Sports Car Racing in the SouthTexas to Florida 1959-1960by Willem OosterhoekPart 2 of a detailed catalogue ofUSA racing during the 1950s.Prolifically illustrated with manyrare and previously unpublishedpictures and race reports.Unmarked boxed edition. Postagecharge because it is heavy! £80 ($125). Now £35 + £9 p+p

Fiat X1/9 Workshop ManualAutobooks edition. Good condition.Covers cars from 1974-1982.Essential information on anappreciating classic Fiat. £8

Fiat Multipla - the appeal of reasonArty, 80 page hardback 1998 presslaunch book. Not offered for publicsale. Has excellent design sketchesof prototypes. Trendy studio andoutdoor photography A must havefor Multipla enthusiasts. £25

Fiat 124 Coupe/Spider and 2000Spider/Turbo Shop Manual1991 edition by Brooklands Books.Features mainly USA specificationcars. Useful fuel injection section.Comprehensive gearbox rebuildchapters. Soft back. £10

Haynes Workshop Manuals Used clean owners workshopmanuals for various modelsincluding Fiat 131, 132, 850 (fadedspine), 127 (faded spine), LanciaBeta and Lada 124. £8 each

Ferrari F12 berlinettaOwners’ presentationbook. Not on public sale.Essentially a high qualitybrochure with dualItalian/English text.Something for the Ferrariliterature collectorHard back. 64 pages.£25 (UK)

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NEXT MONTH

COMING SOONISSUE 229 ON SALE FEBRUARY 4TH 2015

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Some features may appear in a later issue

Lancia 037 RallyMuch campaigned in period, this ex-works 037 has been revived after being lost for 25 years

ALSO1929 Maserati V416 cylinder monster

Auto Italia20th Anniversary Special Issue!

097_AI228_Next Month_FINAL_AI Template 15/12/2014 16:22 Page 97

OBSCURATICURIOSITIES FROM THE AMAZING WORLD OF ITALIAN CARS

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Pavesi Ferrari 412 Ventorosso

The name CarrozzeriaPavesi is a prettyobscure one even byItalian standards. TheMilanese coachbuilder

plied its trade mostly in armour-plated conversions, but from1985 it also became one of ahandful of companies to produceconvertible versions of the Ferrari400 – a route Maranello neverchose to pursue.

Its chop-top was no simple cut-and-shut job. Using its skills inarmoured vehicles, Pavesi madesure the drop-top was strongenough. The conversion processinvolved reinforcing the centrestructure, fully boxing the sillsand adding an extrastrengthening tube to thewindscreen frame.

The electric soft-top of its 400cabriolet folded partly into a newcompartment fore of the boot,leaving part of it protruding andcovered by a canvas tonneau. Theconversion cost a not insignificant185 million lire (around £60,000 atthe time, roughly doubling theprice of a Ferrari 400), but thatdidn’t put people off. Reputedly,at least 15 examples weretransformed by Pavesi.

Having done so many regular400 convertibles, Pavesi wasdrawn to something moreradical when, in 1991, it boughtthe remains of a severelycrashed 412 of 1989 vintage(chassis number 81011).Deciding to create all-newbodywork for it, Pavesi hiredCarlo Vermiglio to do the designwork (no, us neither…).

Some commentators havesuggested that the shape ofPavesi’s convertible closelyresembles a prototype created

by Ferrari itself (on chassisnumber 65201), which wasdesigned by Sergio Scaglietti andused a Ferrari 400 V12 engineand Mondial-based suspension.But while that never madeproduction, Pavesi’s drop-top did.

Let’s call Vermiglio’s eventualshape ‘interesting’. It’s certainlyfar from beautiful. Although thefront edge of the bonnet sitslower than the standard 412’s(thanks to a longer frontoverhang), by the time the rigidlywedge-angled swage linereaches the back of the car, it’salmost comically tall. Despite astyling indent on the body sides,the whole thing looks very bulky,an impression not helped by all-red paintwork.

The bonnet, bootlid and rearpanel were all made ofaluminium, while the bumperswere fibreglass and theremaining bodywork all in steel.As for the roof mechanism, thatwas electro-hydraulic, withcomplex actuators lowering the

rear windows, releasing thecompartment cover andwindscreen clasps and foldingthe whole roof under the rearcover. The interior wascompletely standard Ferrari, withall four seats retained.

The car first saw the light ofday in 1993, after a two-yearbuild, when it was presented asthe ‘Ventorosso’ (which means‘red wind’). No arguing with thatname: the car is not only veryred, it also has a touch of, ahem,wind about it.

The Ventorosso came up forsale at the Coys auction inMonaco in 2014, where it made€61,240. The cataloguementioned that three cars werebuilt in total, but I’m dubiousabout this; I’m certainly notaware of any other examples inexistence. The Ventorossocertainly made an impression onme when I saw it at the recentAuto Moto d’Epoca show atPadova. But has anyone everseen any others?

The history of coachbuilders ruining perfectlygood Ferraris is a long one. Is this rebodied Ferrari 412 another example? Story by Chris Rees

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